Always
by NileRivers94
Summary: "A world full of supernatural creatures, and you guys had to pick the one place some of the most powerful ones called home. Great work, boys. Super." The three Salvatore brothers return to Mystic Falls, drawn there for different reasons. Damon-to resurrect Katherine. Stefan-to get to know Elena. And Daniel, for his own rather nefarious purposes. *Need a Beta Reader!*
1. Chapter 1: Cliché Beach is Cliché EDITED

**Chapter 1: Cliché Beach is Cliché**

 _May 26, 2009_

The sun rose steadily over the horizon, casting its light over the beach of Assateauge Island and the man who sat there. He was tall, reaching roughly 6' 3" in height when he was standing – though he was not doing so now. He was sitting on the sand in his tan board shorts, legs spread open and knees just barely touching the sand. His white flannel shirt was unbuttoned, exposing the toned muscles of his chest and abdomen. The sleeves were rolled up, showing the black wolf's head with ice-blue eyes on the top of his right arm, and the red, gold, and orange phoenix on his left forearm. The wind ruffled his jet-black hair, making it even messier than it usually was. He lifted his glass of bourbon to his mouth with his left hand, ice-blue eyes fluttering as a peaceful sigh escaped his lips.

This man was Daniel Salvatore, the oldest of the three Salvatore brothers, and he was a vampire. Not one of those sparkling ones from Twilight, nor one of the vampires created by Eve. He was a vampire sired by the Original breed of vampires. Vampires created by magic over a thousand years ago who continued to flourish to this day. He had been turned in 1861 – his brothers following three years after – and, despite the fact that he had had to die to become a vampire, he felt that was when his life had truly begun.

Life with his brothers had been good. Life with his father had been quite the opposite. The man had control issues – to put it mildly. Anyone that wouldn't bend to his will was beaten into submission – regardless of how petty their slights may have been. Danny himself had received a majority of the beatings. Not because he defied Giuseppe's will – at least, that wasn't entirely the reason – it was because he consistently took his brothers' punishments. The times he hadn't been able to, he had resorted to fisticuffs with the man, which led to many black eyes and busted lips.

But, all that was in the past now. The scars had faded away with his old life. He was no longer weak and taking beatings from others to protect what he loved – he was fighting back and winning against those who tried to oppress him or his family – whether they be related to him by blood or not.

A buzzing in his pocket alerted him that one such family member was in the process of trying to reach him. He took it out of his pocket, putting against his ear.

"Hello, Dean," he answered in a slightly accented tone.

 _"Houston, we have a problem,"_ came the response on the other end.

Danny took a moment to take a sip of his bourbon, letting loose a satisfied sigh before saying, "You dropped the ball and let Lucifer out, didn't you?"

There was a long pause before, _"How did you know?"_

"You usually don't call me unless it's something important. As far as I'm aware, the breaking of the seals was the only thing happening..." He paused, taking another sip of his bourbon. "Sammy killed Lilith and broke the final seal, right?"

 _"You knew?! You knew that bitch was the last seal?!"_ Dean shouted over the phone, prompting the vampire to pull it away from his ear.

"Yes. As far as I was concerned, it didn't matter if you two knew or not. As long as you killed Lilith before the 65th seal broke, everything would've been golden. Besides, I'm sure they had a back-up plan in case Plan Winchester didn't pan out," he responded in a mild tone.

There was silence for a moment as Dean processed this, marred only by the lapping of the waves on the shore and the clinking of ice in Danny's glass.

 _"Any ideas on takin' down Satan?"_ The man finally asked.

"Not at the moment. I'll hit you up whenever I think of somethin'."

 _"Same."_

There was a click as Dean hung up, allowing the vampire to finally relax and enjoy his bourbon. He closed his eyes, enjoying the salty ocean air – the peaceful serenity that pervaded the beach. This was his home – his sanctuary.

A rustling next to him alerted the vampire that he was not alone. Glancing to the side, he noticed that there was another man sitting on the sand next to him dressed all in black and looking remarkably similar to Daniel.

"What brings you to my neck of the woods, Damon?" He asked, taking a long sip of his drink.

"Paid a visit to Mystic Falls last night and saw something you might find interesting," his younger brother replied, giving him a lopsided smile.

"Well, don't keep me in suspense," Danny replied when Damon didn't immediately continue, bringing the glass to his lips once more.

"I saw Katherine."

Danny's fist clenched around the glass, shattering it as he spat out his drink. He turned to Damon, his brother now having his full and undivided attention.

"Or, at least, someone who looked and sounded exactly like her," Damon continued with a smirk.

"You're lucky I'm already dead. Otherwise, you might've just given me a heart attack, dick," Danny replied, punching his brother in the shoulder playfully before rubbing a hand over his heart. "Jesus fucking Christ, man. Don't do that."

Damon chuckled before rubbing his shoulder, hitting his brother back. "Since you're the supernatural encyclopedia, I thought you might be able to offer an explanation."

"Well, it could be any number of things. Most likely one is a doppelgänger."

"Doppelgänger?"

"Doppelgängers, also known as Shadow-Selves or Mortal Shadow Selves, are a supernatural occurrence that were created by Nature. The purpose of them is to maintain the natural balance by dying in place of their immortal ancestors," Danny replied, smirking at Damon's blank look. "In short, they're Nature's harmless attempt at correcting the balance."

"Uh-huh," Damon said slowly, nodding his head.

"Look, baby bro, all you need to know is that it's not Katherine, and the girl's harmless," Danny stated, rising to his feet and dusting off his shorts. "Now, I don't know about you, but I could really go for some pancakes. You in?"

"Race you there," Damon smirked, vamping in the direction of the only house located just above the beach.

Danny chuckled, shaking his head before following at a slower pace, pondering what the existence of a Katherine look-alike would mean for his plans.

 **A/N: Redid the chapter since the original was garbage.**


	2. Chapter 2: Hello, Brother (EDITED)

Chapter 2: Hello, Brothers

 _September 8, 2009_

 _"You're an abomination – never meant to survive the womb of your filthy, wretched mother."_

Danny splashed water in his face, wincing slightly at the as he recalled the words Raphael had spoken to him. He glanced up into the mirror, face dripping with water as he tried to identify what exactly he was feeling.

 _"You're nothing but a monster, pretending to be a man – a hero. You save and kill humans on a mere whim – how does that make you any different from a demon?"_

His fist found the mirror, shattering it in one blow. _Pissed off_. He surmised, watching the blood drip down from his hand. _Definitely pissed off._ He clenched and unclenched his hand, watching as the wounds healed over rapidly. He rinsed the remainder of the blood from his hand, silently wishing it was Raphael's – or, more accurately, his vessel's – blood that was mixing into the water and flowing down the sink.

He shook his head, grabbing a nearby towel and beginning to dry off his hands. It was a foolish, impossible wish. Raphael was an archangel – and he was but a simple vampire. Not even an original vampire, who could survive all but the wood from a white oak. He wasn't even sure an original could survive the wrath of an archangel and, despite whatever resentments he and Klaus might harbor for each other, he wasn't keen on finding out.

In the months since he and Damon had spoken on the beach, Danny had kept very busy. Hunting monsters, stopping Horsemen, and doing whatever else he felt was necessary to keep the bad guys from winning. Most recently, he had been on an adventure with his hunter friend – who was more like a brother than anything else – and the fallen angel, Castiel.

Castiel, bless his little heart, still believed that God was out there and pulled Danny and Dean both into his relentless search to find him. Tracking down Raphael, the three had trapped him in holy fire, preventing him from immediately killing them. After a few words were exchanged – and virtually no info was gained – the three had left to pursue other things. Cas had left shortly after the incident, leaving the hunter and the vampire to their own devices.

"Hey! I brought some tacos!" A male shouted, banging on the door of the bathroom, alerting the vampire that his friend had returned from his errand.

"Awesome," Danny replied, rolling his eyes and opening the door to reveal none other than Dean Winchester himself standing before him.

Dean peered around him, eyeing the broken and shattered mirror. Handing a food bag to Danny, he said, "What'd the mirror do to piss you off?"

"It looked at me funny," Danny replied shortly, pushing past Dean and walking further into their crappy motel room. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a taco, taking a bite out of it before staring at it thoughtfully, mischief glinting in his eyes.

"Something wrong?" Dean inquired, flopping onto his bed.

"Yeah..." Danny began slowly, placing on a slightly confused/worried expression as he looked over at Dean. "Do these tacos taste funny to you?"

Dean opened his mouth to respond, then stopped as a smile grew over Danny's face. With a groan, the hunter took his pillow and threw it at the vampire. It hit Danny full in the face as he laughed, flopping back onto his own bed.

"I really wish Kate hadn't told you about that," Dean grumbled. "Especially when I don't even freakin' remember it!"

"Yes, well, who else is she supposed to tell? Not like she has anyone to talk to besides you two assclowns," Danny remarked, taking another bite out of his taco. "Speaking of, what did she think of our showdown with our favorite ninja turtle?"

"She was pissed, obviously," Dean replied, rolling his eyes as he sat up. "You know she likes to be in the thick of it. Motherhood has done nothing to stop her desire to hunt."

"Girl after my own heart. Shame she's with you," Danny smirked at the glare the older Winchester threw at him. "Give it time. I'm sure Nik and Arrow will wear her down enough to where the only thing she'll want to do all day is sleep."

"I don't know about Arrow, but Nik...woo," Dean sighed, shaking his head before standing up and walking over to the fridge. He pulled out two beers, tossing one to Danny before opening his own and taking a swig of it. "That boy tires me out just watching him. Guess we're lucky Arrow's calm and quiet."

"Y'know, if not for the fact that Nik looks just like you, I would question if Arrow was yours," Danny paused, taking a swig from his own beer. "Or Kate's, for that matter. Two energetic hot-heads like you two? I'm surprised Arrow's this cool and collected – especially for a baby that's almost a year old."

"Think it has something to do with him being...?" Dean trailed off as he sat down on his bed once more, frowning as he tried to think of the word.

"An Elioud? Maybe," Danny shrugged, taking another swig of his beer. "As far as I know, there hasn't been one since before the flood. Not much is known about them – same goes for Nephilim."

"Explain to me again why Arrow is an Elioud an Nik isn't? They're twins, shouldn't both be...y'know," Dean questioned, gesturing with his hands.

"Like I said, my best guess is that Arrow somehow absorbed Nik's magic – or grace, or whatever – while they were in the womb."

"That doesn't make any sense whatsoever," Dean remarked, taking a long drink from his bottle.

"Dude, I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that you're dating – practically married to – a Nephilim who gave birth to twins and survived," Danny responded, finishing off his beer.

Dean gave a 'fair enough' expression and sat there silently, drinking his beer and wondering what the hell he had gotten himself into.

* * *

Mere hours later, Danny was staring at the new Salvatore Boarding House. Well, new to him, anyway. He hadn't been to Mystic Falls since 1864 – technically he had come back in 1995, but since it was a brief visit and he hadn't exactly done any sight-seeing, he didn't think it really counted.

"Nice place," Dean remarked, staring out through the windshield.

"It's not really mine. Sort of family owned," Danny shrugged, readjusting his hat in the rearview mirror.

Dean glanced at him from the side, taking in his dark plaid flannel, grey shirt, frayed jeans, and the backwards baseball cap he wore on his unruly mop of hair. "Dude, you look like one of those frat boy douchebags you see in college."

"Huh. That's funny, considering when I chose this outfit my exact thoughts were 'now, what would Dean wear'?" Danny snickered as Dean flipped him the bird. "Anyway, thanks for the lift, Deano. Really appreciate it."

"No problem, anytime," Dean responded, watching as Danny reached into the backseat to grab his bag. "Just try not to eat anyone, alright?"

"I make no promises," Danny winked, stepping out of the car and closing the door.

With a small wave, he watched as the black 67' Chevy Impala revved its engine and peeled off before making his way to the door. Knocking on it, he proceeded to hum and rock on his heels, hands behind his back in what he hoped was an nonthreatening manner. The door opened to reveal a middle-aged man with bright blue eyes staring back at him.

"Uncle Damon?" the man said with a frown.

"Try older, taller, and much more charming there, sport," Danny smirked, leaning against the doorway.

The man's brow furrowed in confusion before he slowly asked, "Uncle….Daniel?"

Danny snapped his fingers and pointed finger pistols at him, responding with, "Bingo. And you must be my dear old nephew Uncle Zach. Pleasure finally meeting you, Damon's told me so much about you."

"Really?"

"No," he replied shortly. "Speaking of, mind inviting me in? It would probably be best if I entered the house before Damon killed Stefan and/or you," he continued, raising an eyebrow and gesturing to the door.

"Wait, Damon's here?" Zach asked, the barest trace of fear in his voice.

"Quick on the uptake, ain'tcha? Yes, Damon is here. In….," he paused, listening to an argument taking place in one of the upper levels of the house. "Stefan's room, I'm assuming? And, seeing how I'm the only vampire in Mystic Falls with the strength to stand against Damon, you would be smart to invite me in. Please? See, I even asked nicely," said Danny, not allowing his impatience to enter his voice.

After a moment of hesitation, Zach stood back, opening the door wider as he said, "Please, come in, Uncle Daniel."

Danny took a step inside, smirking slightly before vamping up the stairs to Stefan's room. A little late to the party, Danny watched as Stefan shoved Damon through the glass window before jumping out himself. Danny let out a groan, figuring he would have to pay for the damages since his brothers certainly wouldn't... unless he made them.

After a moment, Danny jumped out the window, landing silently behind Stefan as Damon continued, "I think we woke Zach up. Sorry, Zach."

"Nah, he was already awake. Invited me in and everything," Danny said, grinning widely as Stefan and Damon both jumped at his sudden appearance.

"Danny?!" They both exclaimed in equally shocked tones.

"Surprise," Danny smiled, doing emphatic jazz hands.

"No offense, but what the hell are you doing here?" Damon questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"First off, offense taken," Danny replied in a tone of mock hurt, placing a hand over his heart. "Secondly, I felt a disturbance in the force and realized you must be dicking around with Stefan. Thirdly," He paused, reaching around to smack Damon in the back of his head. "Stop being an asshole to Baby Salvatore. Lastly, you're going to go up to Zach, apologize for breaking his window, and then you're going to pay for repairs – or do them yourself, either way."

"But I wasn't even the one who broke it!" Damon complained, rubbing the back of his head. "Stefan shoved me through it!"

"Were you being an antagonistic asshole?" Danny questioned, folding his arms over his chest.

Damon frowned before uttering a loud groan and stomping toward the house. Danny paused to ruffle his younger brother's hair as he walked past, smirking as Damon smacked his hand. He then turned to Stefan grinning widely before embracing him in a tight hug. Stefan returned it after a moment, and there were a few claps on the back before Danny held his brother at arm's length, surveying him critically.

"Still drinking animal blood?" Danny surmised, not a hint of judgement in his eyes.

"Yeah. You should try it sometime," Stefan grinned, knowing his brother would never do so.

"Nah. I respect animals too much. Innocent little bunnies don't deserve to get munched on just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time," Danny grinned, wrapping an arm around Stefan's shoulder and leading him back towards the house. "I prefer snacking on people who deserve to be eaten. Adulterers, animal abusers, etcetera, etcetera."

"Riiight," Stefan rolled his eyes. "So, what're you really doing here?"

"Oh, Stefan, can't you just enjoy the fact that your favorite brother is here and not question everything?" Danny responded, his tone, while joking, made it quite clear that he didn't really want to respond.

"Fine," Stefan conceded for the moment. "So, what have you been up to?"

"Hold on to your socks, baby bro, cuz you're in for one hell of a story," Danny grinned before launching into a tale about a wendigo hunt gone awry.

* * *

 **UPDATE: 4/9/2018**

 **A/N: As you can probably tell, this chapter is drastically different from its previous version. It mentions a few new characters which will eventually appear in a Supernatural story I'm working on titled "Winchester in Training." It stars Kate - Dean's love interest - and will eventually include their twin boys, Nikolas and Arrow.**

 **Anywho, I wanted to add them in for the following reasons:**

 **-To set up for my next story**

 **-A lot of things I have planned for this story just work better with Kate in it**


	3. Chapter 3: Savior My Ass (EDITED)

**Chapter 3: Savior My Ass**

 _September 23, 2009_

The name 'Salvatore' was one Danny had become quite fond of over the years. It was one of the connections he had to his brothers, it also meant 'savior' in Italian-which did everything for his already massive ego. Now, however, as he sat on the dirty ground, chained up in some old abandoned building in…. Detroit? He sniffed the air, his face rumpling in mild disgust. _Yeah, definitely Detroit._ Continuing his thought, he didn't feel like a savior of anything at the moment.

He cringed slightly as he attempted to move his stiff, injured shoulder. Despite the fact that he was a vampire, and despite the fact that it had been almost ten days since he got it, his wounds refused to heal. Hell, they even started bleeding from time to time. He took in a gasp of air at the sharp pain in his left side. Those little fuckers really had done a number on him. Leaning his head back with a groan, he sighed, reflecting on how exactly he had gotten into this mess.

* * *

 _September 12, 2009_

 _Danny watched from a distance as the coach for the Mystic Falls Timberwolves gave his big 'motivational' speech to the crowd. He clapped along with the rest of the crowd, eyeing their mascot with a mixture of distaste and vague amusement._ _ **I suppose it's only natural that the Lockwoods would want to mark their territory everywhere – even the school.**_

 _He caught Stefan's eye through the crowd, winking at him as he called out, "You go, Stef! Kick those goals, make those baskets, hit that ball! Yay sports!"_

 _His smile broadened when his youngest brother snorted with amusement, managing to disguise it with a cough. Despite how long he had been around, Danny knew next to nothing about sports. It was a fact that he had no shame over, quite the opposite, really. He wore it like a badge of honor._

 _It wasn't that he couldn't play sports – he could, and he was certain he'd be damn good at it, given his vampire nature – he just had no interest in it whatsoever. There wasn't enough of a challenge, or enough danger for him to consider it worth his time. Hunting, however, was an entirely different story. Facing up against other supernatural beings that had a good chance of killing/severely injuring him? Now that was interesting._

 _Still, though, despite his disinterest in football, he had come out to the little rally in support of Stefan. And to get glimpse of Elena. But mostly to support Stefan._ _ **Hate to admit it, but Damon was right about the girl.**_ _He mused as his icy blue gaze settled on the brunette._ _ **The resemblance between her and Katherine is striking. There are a few minor differences, of course.**_ _His eyes glanced over the lack of curls as well as the missing overwhelmingly bitchy aura that usually surrounded Katherine._

 _The loud, yet familiar roar of a car engine not too far off pulled him from his musings._ _ **Don't tell me...**_ _He groaned, hearing the car stop and the doors open and close. He heard footsteps approach and then stop on either him. A glance to both sides confirmed that both Winchesters were here – for him, more than likely._

 _"Do ya mind? 'Bout to watch a rousing game of football here, boys," he said, folding his arms across his chest._

 _"You hate football," Dean stated._

 _"This is true," Danny conceded. "But, I love my brothers and want to support my youngest one at his first game."_

 _"Don't care - " Dean began before Sam elbowed him in the side to get him to shut up._

 _"What Dean means is that, we're sorry to interrupt you, but we need your help," the younger Winchester began, pausing to await Danny's response. When the vampire waved a hand for him to continue, he said, "We got the Colt, and we know where Lucifer is gonna be. We just need your help to bring him down. Ellen, Jo, and Cas are all gonna be there."_

 _"Are they now?" The vampire hummed in intrigue. He slid his gaze over to Dean, raising an eyebrow slightly. "And Kate?"_

 _"Pissed off and staying at Bobby's," Dean shrugged. "We're gonna meet up there first then make our way to Lucifer tomorrow."_

 _"Hmm," Danny hummed again in thought, mulling it over. After a moment, he said in a low voice, "Stefan, if you can hear me, I need you to nod your head twice." He paused as the youngest Salvatore did so. "I have some muy importante business to take care of – so I'll be out of town for a bit. I apologize for having to miss your game, and I wish you luck." He paused once more, thinking his next words carefully. "Give my apologies to Damon for not saying goodbye in person. Time is of the essence and my friends and I have to move quickly."_

 _The youngest Salvatore was still for a moment before glancing up and meeting Danny's eyes, glancing at the two hunters beside him. His eyes then found Danny's once more before he gave a small nod and a half-hearted smile._

 _"Autobots, roll out," Danny smiled, making his way to the Winchesters' Impala._

 _After a brief stop at the boarding house to pick up some clothes and other assorted items, the three made the long drive back to Sioux Falls. On the way there, the hunters informed him about their run-in with the archangel – Gabriel – earning a laugh from the vampire. He quickly sobered up when they went on to tell him about receiving the Colt from Crowley, and he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous about the close contact the two had with the demon._

 _"Something wrong?" Sam asked, noting how Danny was uncharacteristically quiet for some time._

 _"We're on the verge of an apocalypse, Sammy. Everything's wrong," Danny responded in a dry tone._

 _"Yeah, but you're usually more upbeat. You only went quiet after..." He trailed off, eyes narrowing slightly. "After we told you about Crowley."_

 _"Do you know that arrogant jackass?" Dean questioned, turning away from the road to look at him._

 _"Road, Dean," Danny admonished. It was only after the hunter had turned back that he said, "We've crossed paths once or twice. Suffice it to say, he essentially saved my life, and I owe him a favor now." He raised a finger to forestall the brothers' questions. "No, I will not give you details. No, I did not sell my soul. And the favor is getting rid of Lucifer. Once that's done, we're all square, everything's kosher, and I can go back to hating every demon without exception."_

 _The brothers seemed to accept his answer – for the moment, anyway. A few hours passed, and they finally all arrived at Bobby's place. The second they all stepped out of the car, Bobby's door opened up and a short figure ran out, launching herself at Dean and hugging him tightly. He gave a hearty laugh before spinning her around and setting her on the ground, a broad smile on his face. The woman turned, giving Danny a contemplative look and a small nod, her hazel eyes twinkling thoughtfully._

 _Danny simply rolled his eyes at the curly haired brunette, figuring she was just in one of her moods. He walked past them into the house, giving Jo a flirtatious wink when he entered. He spotted Ellen and Cas sitting at a table, the former setting up a line of shots. Upon spotting the vampire, the woman waved him over, telling him to pull up a chair as she took out more shot glasses for him and filled them._

 _She then took a shot, pulling a few faces before looking at the two immortals and saying, "Alright, boys, let's go."_

 _Cas and Danny exchanged a look – the latter of the two smirking at the challenge – before they each downed their shots quickly and easily, as though they were drinking simple water. Ellen stared at them in disbelief, especially when Danny began to down her shots as well. When he was done, he did a small drum-roll on the table before looking towards the angel, gauging his reaction._

 _"I think I'm starting to feel something," he said._

 _"That does beg the question, though: who has a higher alcohol tolerance? A vampire or an angel?" Danny question, raising his eyebrows challengingly._

 _"My money's on the angel," Jo stated._

 _"Same here," Ellen agreed._

 _"I'm gonna have to go with Danny on this one," the short brunette -Kate - stated, walking into the room. "Dude drinks alcohol like it's water – or blood, I suppose in his case."_

 _Danny grinned at her widely before turning to Castiel, saying, "So, whaddaya say? Care to see who can hold their liquor better, Gimli?"_

 _Castiel seemed confused at his statement – more than likely not understanding the reference. He did, however, know that he was being challenged and accepted easily, watching as Ellen filled their glasses once more. They clinked glasses and the game was on._

* * *

Danny shifted, groaning slightly as the wounds began to sting once more. Glancing down, he noted that his wound had opened up again. Despite the amount of pain he was in, the vampire couldn't help but be intrigued by the wound. It wasn't healing, did that mean it could kill him – permanently – if left untreated? He was unsure but knew damn well that he wasn't keen on finding out. Instead, he closed his eyes and tried to focus his mind elsewhere – more specifically, the events that had befallen him and his friends in Carthage, Missouri.

* * *

 _September 13, 2009_

 _ **Happy fucking birthday to me.**_ _Danny groaned as he eyed the hell hounds on either side of Meg. He readjusted his shotgun, gaze flicking to his companions, as well as the multitude of reapers surrounding them. Danny wasn't sure why, but he had always been able to see reapers, and hell hounds. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was already dead? He shook his head, this wasn't the time to be asking questions._

 _Instead, he focused his gaze on Dean, who fired the colt at one of the hounds, killing it. The group then took off, Danny lagging behind to make sure they made it through okay. Feeling hot breath on his heels, he turned around, prepared to shoot the damn thing. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough. The bitch knocked him over and sank its teeth into his left shoulder, eliciting a low growl of pain from the vampire as the beast raked its claws along his left side, tearing and ripping away the flesh._

 _Jo shouted out him before firing at the hell hound repeatedly, moving closer as she did so. Another one came up behind her, tackling her from the back and ripping away at her side. Sam and Ellen fired at the hell hound while Dean went to retrieve Jo. Danny waved away any help as he rose unsteadily to his feet and vamped into the nearest hardware store. He collapsed onto the ground, panting as the others rushed in and began barricading the door with a chain and lines of salt along the windows and doors._

 _Once everything had settled down, they crowded over to Jo to assess her injuries – assuming that Danny's would heal over momentarily. Danny glanced at his shoulder, grimacing at the teeth marks and blood still flowing from it. He moved his hand from the claw marks on his side, relieved when he noted that they weren't deep enough to hit any internal organs. He leaned his head back against the shelf and closed his eyes, hoping a small nap would speed the recovery process._

 _"Danny?" Came Sam's voice, interrupting his attempt at napping._

 _"Hmm?" He hummed in response, not opening his eyes._

 _"I know we normally don't ask this but," he paused, presumably to glance behind him at Jo before turning back to him. "Jo's in really bad shape – and we're low on options. Do you think you could... spare some blood?" There was an audible grimace at his words._

 _"I could, but I don't think it would help," Danny replied, opening one eye to stare at Sam._

 _"What? Why not?"_

 _Danny moved his hand again, revealing the blood flowing from his own wound. He moved his head to the side, exposing the still-fresh bite on his shoulder. "Because, it's not healing me. I doubt it would heal her."_

 _"We could at least try - " Sam began in a slightly panicked tone, looking over his wounds worriedly._

 _"And if we fail and Jo dies anyway?" Danny questioned in a sharp tone, opening his other eye to give Sam an icy stare. "She'll wake up in transition with the possibility of becoming a vampire. And – if I know Jo as well as I think I do – she'd choose death over becoming a vampire, Sam. You all would."_

 _Sam frowned, angry and upset – unable to dispute his words. He stomped off, returning moments later with some Ace bandages. Danny tried to wave him away, but the younger Winchester would have none of it. He patched up Danny's side as best he could before doing the same to his shoulder. He then tied the ends of a cloth together and pulled it over Danny's head, helping him move his arm into the makeshift sling to keep the weight off his shoulder._

 _"Thanks, Sammy," Danny smiled tightly, receiving a nod in return. "I'm gonna take a nap for a bit. Let me know when we're moving out, kay?"_

 _He received another nod before he shut his eyes and fell asleep. What felt like minutes later, he was being gently shaken awake by Ellen. She quickly explained what Bobby had told them about Death rising, and how she and Jo were going to let the hounds in and bomb the place to buy them time. Danny, while against the idea, knew there was no way he'd be able to convince them to change the plan – especially considering that they had all the bombs ready to blow at a moment's notice. Rising to his feet, Danny gave Ellen a firm, one-armed hug._

 _"I'm sorry you both got dragged into this, Ellen," Danny whispered, kissing the side of her head as she sobbed into his uninjured shoulder. "You deserve better – both of you do."_

 _"We're hunters, Salvatore. We all know this only ends one way," she smiled sadly before pulling away and holding him at arm's length. "Now, Danny, I want you to promise me you'll look after yourself and those boys, y'hear?"_

 _"Yes, ma'am," he replied without any of usual condescension._

 _With a satisfied nod she stepped aside and walked with him back to Jo. Kneeling down, he took her hand in his and placed a kiss on her forehead. He then brushed the hair from the side of her face, giving her a sad smile._

 _"It would never have worked between us, darling. I'm sorry," he tried to joke._

 _"Did you just quote Johnny Depp to me?" She chuckled._

 _"Aye, lass," he winked. "Figured if you're gonna go out with a bang – literally – might as well do it with a smile on your face."_

 _Jo gave another weak chuckle and a small smile as the vampire grabbed her hand again, giving it a small squeeze and bringing it his lips before releasing it and standing up. After a few more tearful goodbyes, the three boys left the hardware store via the fire escape upstairs. It was as they were making their way down the alley that they heard the explosion. They turned around, seeing the store being engulfed in flames – hopefully taking the hounds with it._

 _"Grab onto me," Danny stated, keeping the emotion from his voice as he turned away from the fire. "And hold on tight."_

 _When the brothers had taken up positions on either side of him, gripping his biceps tightly. He vamped away, stopping only when they had started to approach a field of people, with a solitary man digging away with a shovel._ _ **Must be Lucifer.**_ _He surmised, eyeing the glow unearthly glow that seemed to come from him._

 _"Guess we know what happened to some of the townspeople," Dean stated._

 _"Okay," Sam replied._

 _"Okay," Dean responded, not having much else to say._

 _"Last words?" Sam asked, not taking his eyes off the field._

 _"I think I'm good," Dean answered after a moment of silence._

 _"Yeah. Me too. Danny?"_

 _"Never thought I'd see Satan landscaping," the vampire replied in a mild tone, feeling an odd pull towards the archangel._

 _The two stared at him quizzically before Dean finally asked, "You're okay with those being your last words?"_

 _He nodded in response, feeling another odd tug and ignoring as he did the previous._ _ **Better than my other last words just before I became a vampire. I believe they went something along the lines of 'gurgle gurgle blech'.**_ _He smirked in amusement, glad that he could look back on the incident with a smile, unlike most vampires._

 _Danny was shaken from his thoughts as Sam began to move forward, prompting the vampire to follow quickly beside him as Dean went around the side. It was Danny and Sam's job to keep Lucifer distracted while Dean snuck around and got close enough to fire a shot. However, with each step he took, he felt the tug grow stronger, more painful. He clutched a hand over his chest, pain spasming over his features before it was wiped away quickly at Sam's concerned glance._

 _"Hey!" Sam shouted, cocking his gun as he stepped into Lucifer's line of sight. "You wanted to see me?!"_

 _Lucifer dropped his shovel, rubbing his hands together as he approached, saying "Well, Sam, you don't need that gun here. You know I'd never hurt you, not really."_

 _"Yeah? Well I'd hurt you," Dean said, approaching Lucifer from the side and cocking the colt close to his face. The archangel turned to him, surprise written all over his face. "So, suck it." He fired it into Lucifer's forehead, causing him to fall to the ground._

 _"Well, I don't know about you guys, but that was a little too easy," Danny replied, appearing suddenly beside Sam._

 _Dean opened his mouth to respond when Lucifer took a deep breath and rose to his feet with a small 'owww!' He then stared at the gun in Dean's hand and, after asking him where he got it, backhanded him into the nearest tree._

 _"Now, where were we?" Lucifer asked as he began to turn back towards Sam._

 _"I think you were digging a hole for the world's largest tree," Danny pointed out, feeling another wince in his chest when Lucifer turned to look at him, shock, recognition, and...hope? Flashing over his face._

 _"Alistair?" He questioned, taking a step forward._

 _Another flash of pain, this time in his head, flared through the vampire. With a small groan, he shook himself, vamped over, and grabbed the colt from the ground, pointing it at Lucifer once more._

 _"_ _Danny. Pleasure to meet you, Lucy-loo. Unfortunately, this clandestine meeting will have to be cut short," Danny said, finger on the trigger._

 _Just one squeeze. One more shot. Enough to buy time to get Sam and Dean away from here. That's all it would take. But, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't pull the trigger. The longer he looked at Lucifer, the less he wanted to pull the trigger, and the more pain began to flare in his chest and head._

 _"_ _Can't pull the trigger, can you, sport?" Lucifer smirked, stepping closer._

 _Danny's eyes narrowed, the veins appearing under his eyes, the whites of his eyes turning blood red as his fangs elongated. When he looked at Lucifer, he envisioned that it was Katherine he was pointing the gun at. Not hard, considering she was never very far from his thoughts._

 _Taking a step forward, he said, "I can. It just takes a little imagination."_

 _He pulled the trigger, the gun fired and shot Lucifer in the forehead. The Morning Star went down and stayed there for only a second before inhaling and shifting position._

 _"_ _Owww…that was rude," Lucifer said, getting to his feet._

 _"…_ _. Shit," was the only response Danny could come up with._

 _"'_ _Shit' indeed," Lucifer smirked, breaking Danny's neck with a snap of his fingers._

* * *

 _Present Day_

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Been busy with the whole apocalypse thing. You understand, right?" a voice interrupted his memories.

Danny's eyes opened slowly, his icy gaze flicking to Lucifer's, as he pulled slightly on his chains, trying-and failing- to get comfortable.

"Are the chains really necessary? This is a little too kinky for my taste, Lucy," Danny remarked dryly, a smirk twisting its way onto his face.

"Ooh, sassy, I like. Unfortunately, I'm just not that into you, kiddo," Lucifer replied with an amused smirk of his own

"Good, cuz I wasn't exactly looking forward to becoming butt buddies with Lucifer. Not on my to-do list today-or any day, for that matter," Danny replied, glancing around and looking for some way to escape.

"Oh? And what is?"

"Kicking your ass. Little hard to do with me being chained up at the moment, though. Now that we've firmly established that this isn't some sort of kinky sex thing, mind dropping the iron? It really chafes my wrists, plus this isn't good for my posture."

"No can do, sport. See, I was nice enough to leave your little friends alive -but that's where my niceness runs out. Now, you're going to be stuck here until you finally decide to join me, Danny-boy."

"Why the fuck would I join you?"

"Well, you see, my father—"

"Yeah, yeah, no need to tell me your life story, I already know it. Personally, I sympathize with you greatly, Lucy. My birth father was an abusive little cunt – and killing him was, without a doubt, the most euphoric thing I have ever experienced. You could say that when I envision the worst qualities of humanity, I see him. And killing a billion Giuseppe's would, undoubtedly, make me a very happy man. Unfortunately, humans also an invaluable food source-one I can't allow you to get rid of so….sorry. Final answer is no. I'm locking it in. No deal," Danny replied in a snarky tone, trying to fit in as many game show references as he could.

Lucifer frowned at this before walking over and crouching in front of him. He grabbed Danny's face in his hand, turning his head from side to side before releasing him and stepping back with a disappointed sigh.

"Despite how much you might resemble him, you're not Alistair."

"Wow. What a subject change. Who the fuck is Alistair?" Danny replied, shaking his chains in annoyance.

"He was an archangel. Created by myself and my three brothers…" Lucifer trailed off his eyes moving to Danny's chest as he made a 'huh' sound, tilting his head to the side.

"Hey, buddy, my eyes are up here."

"Where did you get his Grace?" Lucifer asked curiously.

"Pardonne-moi? His Grace? What Grace? What the fuck are you talking about?" Danny demanded, getting more impatient by the second.

"Alistair's Grace. It's in you. Or, at least some of it is. Not enough to make you an angel, or a Nephilim, but enough to make you…special."

"…. That explains so much, and yet so little."

"Perhaps we can both get some answers," Lucifer responded, reaching his hand into Dan's chest.

Danny snarled and shouted profanities; he had never felt such pain before. He could feel Lucifer's hand touching his soul, or his Grace, or whatever the fuck it was. As Lucifer got closer, Danny reacted on instinct and sank his fangs into Lucifer's neck, consuming his blood. To his surprise, it was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. That euphoric feeling he had mentioned earlier had returned tenfold. His body was on fire, pleasant sparks filling his entire being as the blood continued to flow into his mouth. He didn't want to stop; he wanted to consume every ounce of blood in Lucifer's body. Satan, however, had other ideas; he jerked his head away, his arm too. He turned his glare onto Danny, his stare cold enough to freeze hell itself over.

"Owww…."

Danny, for his part, ignored him. Instead, he focused on the power flowing through his veins. He had never felt this strong in his life, he was supercharged. His wounds had healed and his eyes glowed a shining blue, surrounded by blood red. Danny easily yanked himself free from his chains and, before he could do anything, ripped Lucifer's heart from his chest before beheading him for good measure. It wouldn't kill him, but it would give him time to escape.

He was home free.


	4. Chapter 4: Not in the Mood (EDITED)

Chapter 4: Revelations

 _Date unknown, 1853_

 _A lone figure sat beneath a tree poised upon a hill. His pencil twirled in the fingers of his right hand thoughtfully before he ran the aforementioned hand through his unruly mop of jet-black hair. The movement turned into a scratch as he narrowed his ice-blue eyes at the notebook in his lap that bore a half-drawn stag, a proud set of antlers resting upon its head. His tongue poked out between his teeth, brow furrowing as he brought the bit of graphite in his hand down upon the parchment once more. A few strokes and a moment later, the drawing was finished, a proud smile upon the teen's face as he looked upon his artwork._

 _The drawing completed, he folded the page back before turning to the next sheet, pencil poised once more to etch a figure upon it. He was pulled away from his sketch by the tinkling sound of children's laughter. He glanced down the hill overlooking the sprawling estate of his home to see two boys, one thirteen and the other five, chasing each other around the yard and rolling in the grass, giggling with joy at their game. The teen on the hill gave a soft smile at the joy and innocence that seemed to radiate from the two, half-tempted to abandon his art and join them. After a moment, he shook his head with a smile before turning back to the parchment and beginning to draw once._

 _"What are you doing, Daniel?" A strong, masculine voice asked mere moments later._

 _The teen, Daniel, froze for a moment. Pencil tip poised over the paper, jaw rigid and face set in a permanent scowl. He took a moment to collect himself before resuming his drawing._

 _"Sitting beneath the tree," he replied in a curt tone._

 _Drawing. Enjoying myself. Breathing. All the things you hate me doing. He bit his tongue to prevent himself from continuing on sarcastically. As far as Daniel could tell, the man was not angry - yet. It would not bode well to provoke him._

 _He heard the sound of liquid sloshing about in a bottle before the man replied, "Stop your lazing around, boy. There's work to be done."_

 _"Well, then you'd best skip to it hadn't you, Father?" Daniel replied, his tone taking on a steely edge at the last word._

 _Sensing that the man was already in a foul mood - no doubt assisted by the beverage in his hand - Daniel saw no reason to curb his tongue. Since the bear had already been poked, why stop? His father, Giuseppe, was a mean drunk - liable to target anyone in the household for even the smallest of transgressions. Even imagined ones. At least this way, Daniel himself would be the sole target of his wrath rather than his two younger brothers._

 _"You mind your tone with me, boy," the man began in a threatening tone, walking around the tree to stand in front of Daniel. "I am your father, and the head of the house. You will show me some respect."_

 _"I'm sensing an 'or else' at the end of that sentence," Daniel remarked in a dry tone. He looked up from his completed drawing, eyebrow quirked upward to show how unimpressed he was. He placed his notebook and pencil on the ground as he continued, "But," he rose to his feet, folding his arms over his chest as he stared at his father with pure loathing. "I find myself questioning what could possibly be worse than having a drunkard like you for a father."_

 _A fist slammed into his left cheek, just as Daniel had thought might happen. He stumbled back against the tree, feeling as Giuseppe grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the tree, bottle forgotten on the ground._

 _"You would do well to mind your manners, son," Giuseppe growled, leaning close to Daniel's face. The teen had to suppress the urge to turn his face away as the putrid scent of alcohol wafted its way into his nostrils._

 _"Manners are for people who've earned my respect," Daniel shot back in a cold tone._

 _Giuseppe gave another low growl and pulled his fist back before swinging at him again, releasing him as the teen dropped to the ground, blood dripping from his mouth. Daniel got on his hands and knees, preparing to rise to his feet when Giuseppe's boot flew into his gut. He gave a groan of pain as he fell to his side, clutching his abdomen as Giuseppe's boot hit him repeatedly. He curled into the fetal position, trying to protect his his torso and the fragile organs within. His father's boot found its way to his ribs, wherein Daniel swore he heard a crack before unbelievable pain racked his body._

 _He lay still for a moment, waiting for the pain to subside. As it did, he noted that Giuseppe had stopped hitting him. He moved his head up slowly, uncurling his body carefully. He tried to suppress a cough as blood spurred forth from his mouth, narrowly missing his father's boot, which stood near his head. He followed it upward, gaze alighting upon the man's angered face, which was turned toward the estate and - more specifically- toward the children still running and playing, oblivious to the violence occurring above them._

 _Giuseppe looked down at Daniel, a wicked grin upon his face as he took a step toward the house. He wouldn't dare. Daniel snarled internally, rage, hatred, and a fierce feeling of protectiveness surging through him. He reached over, grabbing his pencil before jabbing it behind Giuseppe's right knee. The man gave a howl of pain before clutching his leg, giving Daniel time to rise to his feet, pain forgotten for the moment as righteous burning anger and cold, unabashed fury radiated through._

 _"Never. Ever. Threaten my brothers," he snarled taking a step towards the man and shoving him down the hill._

* * *

Danny inhaled sharply as his eyes opened and he sat up. He turned himself to the side as blood poured forth from his mouth into the bucket that was located next to him. When it was done, he groaned before pulling himself forward and leaning his head back against the metal of the iron door, sweat slicking his hair down as his body trembled subtly.

"What was that?" A gravelly voice asked from the other side of the door.

"You saw it?" Danny grimaced, closing his eyes as he swept his hair from his forehead. "It was a memory from before I became a vampire. I was sixteen."

"That man...he was...your father?" The voice asked tentatively.

"He is a man with whom I, most unfortunately, shared blood," Danny replied, his lip curling upward in distaste.

"Why did he..." the voice trailed off, seeming unsure of how to phrase his question.

"Hate me? Probably because I killed my mother when she gave birth to me," Danny replied with a shrug. "Obviously didn't bother him too much considering he remarried shortly after and had two more kids."

"...What happened to him?"

"I turned him into a vampire some years later, tortured him for twenty-five years, then very slowly proceeded to kill him," Danny replied in the same tone one would use when talking about the weather. "Bit upset about the whole thing now. If I had known that hell was an actual thing, I might've just tortured him for awhile before letting him take the eternity tour down under. Still, bit late for regrets now though eh, Castiel?"

The angel, Castiel, made a small noise in response. Danny heard the rustling of fabric and the sound of the angel's heart beating closer than before - leading the vampire to assume that Cas was sitting against the door as well. Danny felt the veins appear beneath his eyes and his fangs begin to elongate. His body shook with need, wanting another taste of the the delectably empowering angel blood that flowed through his friend's veins.

Danny brought his legs up to his chest before wrapping his arms around his knees, hugging them tightly as he rested his forehead on his kneecaps.

"Castiel?" Danny asked, receiving a grunt in response. "Who's Alistair?"

He had a feeling he wouldn't like the answer, but he needed something to distract him from his hunger - and this was the only topic that came to mind.

"...Lucifer told you?" Castiel replied with a sigh.

"Mentioned it, barely. He said the archangels created an archangel, and that I looked just like him. Plus, I had some of his Grace inside me. Who is he? How is that possible?" Danny questioned, twisting the daylight ring on his right ring finger absentmindedly.

"...Alistair was the only angel created in the image of man. A gift God allowed the other archangels to create, hoping they might understand what it was like to create something, to watch it grow, to love and cherish it..."

"You mean Luci, don't you?"

"Yes. God allowed the archangels to create something, but he hoped that the human form would allow Lucifer to see the humans in the same light as he did..."

"I'm guessing that went swimmingly," Danny commented in a sarcastic tone.

"I don't see what swimming has to do with this, Daniel," Castiel replied, the confused frown on his adorable face practically audible.

"It's a figure of speech, Cas. Carry on."

"Right...well, Alistair was closest to Lucifer, and loved him like a father. Lucifer, for his part, felt the same. The two were practically inseparable, even when Lucifer was cast into hell, Alistair followed him, his loyalty unwavering. He did whatever Lucifer commanded, unquestioning of his orders, following every command swiftly. Unfortunately, that all ceased when Lucifer was cast into the cage, and Alistair was left alone, shattered and broken."

"That doesn't explain why I look like him, Cas. Or why I have his Grace inside me," Danny pointed out.

"Well, there's a story that I'd heard a long time ago, I was never quite sure if it was true, though. There was a woman who had caught his eye. She was delicate, gentle, everything he had been told humans weren't. Legend has it that this woman was carrying a child and, during the course of its birth, something had gone wrong. The child was weak and dying and so, in order to save it, Alistair infused the child with his Grace, saving its life and protecting it."

"So, you're saying I'm a descendant of that kid? That still doesn't explain why I'm his doppelgänger, Cas," Danny frowned.

"If you'd let me finish, I was just getting to that," Cas replied in a sharp tone, earning a pained laugh from the oldest Salvatore.

"When Lucifer was put in the cage, Alistair was distraught. Living without Lucifer-living with the memories he had of him- became unbearable. He tore out the remainder of his Grace-along with his memories of his time as an angel- and went to live among the humans in their world; hiding from the angels who he thought had betrayed him in the process. He started a family, and their line flourished and continued until you and your siblings were born. Before he did this, however, Alistair swore that he would return again - as many times as it took - until he was reunited with his father.

"Legend has it that when the two bloodlines meet again - the descendants of the child with angelic Grace and Alistair's own descendants - that Alistair would return again, more powerful than ever.

"This is why Lucifer wants you. He knows with Alistair by his side, Michael stands no chance of defeating him. Michael knows this and-if there's even the smallest chance that Alistair could be brought back-he will smite you," Castiel finished gravely.

"Lovely," Danny groaned, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

* * *

 _September 30, 2009_

Danny pulled into the driveway of the Salvatore Boarding house, looking relieved when he noticed his brothers hadn't burned it down. _Yet._ He stepped out the '67 Impala and slammed the door shut, grimacing as he imagined Dean yelling at him to be gentle.

Not long after the debacle with Satan, Danny and Cas both felt it was best to compel the two Winchesters to ignore the apocalypse. They were hoping that it would keep the two hunters out of harm's way, as well as give them a bit of a break. Bobby disagreed with them, meaning he also had to be compelled. Not something Danny had planned on doing but did so anyway. Kate had proved more challenging. As a Nephilim, she couldn't be compelled - and she refused to lie or hide anything from Dean. Leaving Danny with little choice but to take away all communication devices and shuffle her and her kids to his beach house.

After informing the other hunters that contacting her would put her and the twins in danger - which wasn't entirely untrue - Danny had taken temporary possession of the Impala in order to throw the angels and demons of their trail. _I should probably start putting some warding up and around the house. Don't need any supernatural jackasses coming here and trying to use my brothers against me._ He mused thoughtfully, twirling his keys in his hand as he made his way to the house.

Upon entering his home, he was greeted by the sight of a half-naked woman dancing to loud music with Damon on his coffee table drinking his liquor. Damon spotted him, and walked over to him, arms spread out, shirt ruffled and unbuttoned.

"Danno, just in time for the party! Come on over, I want you to meet—" Damon began before being stopped as Danny raised a hand.

Danny pinched his nose, fighting off the growing headache as he sighed, saying, "A few things: Where the fuck is Zach? Why are you drinking my bourbon? And please, _please_ tell me you did not have sexual relations with that prostitute on my couch."

"Hey, I'm not a—" the girl began hotly, taking a step toward him.

"Shut your face hole, Candi. I was talking to my brother," Danny paused, frowning irritably at her. "I suggest you get the fuck off my coffee table before I literally throw you out the door."

"Ooh, someone's grumpy," Damon smirked.

"Damon," Danny replied in a sharp tone, letting his little brother know he wouldn't be able to evade him that easily.

"Ugh, fine. I killed Zach, I didn't screw Vicki on the couch, and you have the good stuff, so I decided to borrow it," Damon answered with a roll of his eyes, sensing that his brother wasn't in his usual playful mood.

"You killed-? Nevermind, I really don't want to know," Danny sighed, massaging his temples.

He glanced over at Candi-Vicki, whatever- before vamping over to her and snatching the bottle from her hand. She opened her mouth to protest when Danny grabbed by her waist and threw her over his shoulder. She pounded on his back, kicking and screaming as he held true to his word and flung her through the front door, slamming it shut.

"For the record, don't steal my alcohol, don't dance on my furniture - "

"Technically, it's Zach's," Damon pointed out.

"Was Zach's. Now that he's dead, it passes to the oldest - me. Now turn that music down, I'm going to take a nap. We'll talk later, Damon," Danny informed him with a tired smile before vamping upstairs and flopping onto his bed.

He took a rather copious swig from the bottle before setting it on his nightstand. He then closed his eyes and buried his face in his pillow. Despite all of the horrible things that had happened the past few weeks, he was glad to be home.


	5. Chapter 5: Worst Birthday Ever EDITED

Chapter 5: Worst. Birthday. Ever.

 _November 1, 2009_

There were two days of the year that Daniel Salvatore cherished more than any other. One was the day Damon was born; the other was the day Stefan was brought into the world. Today was the latter, and it was a day Danny was determined to make great, for his baby brother's sake. He had been a bit of a flake lately-shirking his big brother duties- and wanted to make it up to him. So, he'd called an old friend in the hopes of perking him up-which he desperately needed since he and Elena took the train to Splitsville.

Yeah, a lot had happened in the month since Daniel's return-most of which, he was proud to say, was not his fault. To summarize: Elena found out that the Salvatores were supernatural badasses, one of the town's witches had stolen a piece of magical jewelry from Damon, and Vicki had been turned into a vampire and subsequently killed-just the previous night, coincidentally. Danny was pretty pissed about that one, actually. Not about her death-he honestly couldn't care less that she had been killed, she seemed like a total bitch. No, his ire came from the fact that she had been staying at their house for the past month, while his brothers tried to teach-what Danny thought- was a hopeless case. Regardless, she was dead, and the matter was no longer an issue.

Now, despite the plethora of terrible things that had happened the past month, there were a few upsides: he had wormed his way onto the counsel-after telling a few tales of his hunting exploits and showcasing some of the weapons in the Impala's trunk, it was probably the easiest thing he had done so far. Another plus was that he had earned lengthy vacation, courtesy of his brother from another mother, Castiel. The angel had felt that it would be best if he stayed under the angel radar-more specifically, under Michael and Raphael's radar. Given how much bullshit he'd gone through with Satan and his detox from angel blood, Danny was only too happy to oblige. Besides, it gave him more time to spend with his brothers-and made it easier to attempt to keep them out of too much trouble.

 _Speaking of…_ he would smirk, closing his book with a snap. He rose from his chair, stretching out his muscles before replacing the book on his alphabetized bookshelf. He then walked towards Stefan's room, smiling as he heard the female voice behind the door.

"'Cause if I did I'd kick her ass. Little bitch. Speaking of...where's Damon?"

"See, I knew there was a reason we got along, Lexi-loo. We both share a similar, passionate distaste for Kathy," Danny smiled, leaning against the doorway. "I do not, however, appreciate the insult to my younger brother, Lex."

The blonde woman turned around, revealing a pretty face with hazel-green eyes. Danny had to admit, she was just his type and-had it not been for a multitude of reasons, most of which involved his brothers- he would have pursued more than just a friendship with her – a friendship with benefits, but still. Unfortunately, she seemed to be well aware of his infatuation with her and tended to use it to her advantage. Loathe as he was to admit it, his affection for Lexi Branson had gotten him wrapped tightly around her finger. She was just too hard to say 'no' to. Admittedly, a lot of that affection stemmed from the fact that she had been so willing to help his brothers-particularly Stefan- but that was beside the point.

"Daniel Salvatore. It has been awhile," Lexi smiled, hugging the taller man tightly for a moment before releasing him. She looked him over critically before punching him in the arm, prompting him to rub it to dull the pain.

"Would it kill you to send a text, you ass? No word from you for over fifty years, and now you just pop in like nothing's wrong?"

"What can I say? Communication has never really been my strong suit, just ask my brothers," Danny smirked, not at all offended by the name calling.

"He's not wrong. In the 145 years since I became a vampire, his return to Mystic Falls was only the second time I'd seen him," Stefan said with a rather tight smile.

Danny rolled his eyes and waved his hand before gesturing at Lexi, saying, "I knew you were in the best hands possible, Stef. I had my own stuff to deal with; I saw no need to drag you into my vampire drama, especially when you had so much of your own."

Danny paused, glancing down at the nonexistent watch on his left wrist before clasping his hands together, saying, "Welp, that's all the time I have here, folks. I've got some business to take care of in town. You kids have fun. Lexi, don't let him get into too much trouble now, ya hear?"

Danny winked at her before kissing her forehead, prompting Lexi to roll her eyes and playfully shove him away. Danny chuckled before giving a mock salute to Stefan-who responded with a small wave- and vamping away.

* * *

Danny was sitting at a table outside a café- hilariously enough, it was the same table that Stefan and Elena had sat at a little over a month ago, though Danny wouldn't know this- drinking his hot tea and reading a newspaper. He would lower both of them at the fluttering of wings across from him, raising an unimpressed eyebrow at the trench coat wearing angel sitting opposite him.

"Y'know, one of these days, you're gonna give someone a coronary, appearing out of nowhere like that," Danny remarked dryly, taking a careful sip of his tea before setting it and the newspaper down fully.

Castiel narrowed his eyes at him, glancing around rather quickly before saying, "You know as well as I do that humans are oblivious to everything around them."

"True enough. Except, there are those few humans who have an eye for spotting the unnatural," Danny replied, taking another sip of his tea before giving a dry chuckle, continuing with, "Most of them, funnily enough, reside in this town."

"Is that so? Do you think they would assist us in our efforts against Lucifer?"

"Doubtful. Even if they would, I wouldn't let them. They would just be more names added onto the ever-growing list of pointless deaths," the eldest Salvatore answered, draining the last of his liquid before asking, "What's up, Cas? I'm sure you didn't request a meeting so we could have a leisurely chat about Mystic Falls."

"True. Michael is currently searching for a vessel- and Lucifer is looking for a more…permanent one, since his current one is slowly decaying," Cas answered in his rather serious manner.

"Splendid. Why should I care?"

"You should care because you ruined their chances at getting their true vessels when you compelled the Winchesters away from the battlefield. Michael already knows it was you and is infuriated by this, and- if Lucifer finds out- they'll both search for you even harder than ever," Castiel answered, worry seeping into his voice.

Danny rolled his eyes before holding out his cup, silently asking for another cup of tea from the waitress. Only after he had gotten his refill-and the waitress had given him a few flirty looks- did he respond with, "Look, we both agreed that Sam and Dean deserved a break. Sending them to...you-know-where was the best decision we could've made at the time. Now we can come up with a plan and keep the boys safe," he paused, scrutinizing Cas' still worried expression before giving a small sigh. "Look, if it makes you happy-and if it gets Mikey off my ass- there's another vessel he could use."

Castiel narrowed his eyes, leaning forward slightly as he asked, "What do you mean?"

Danny sipped his tea, a devious smirk unfurling onto his features as he replied, "Kate told me a story a while ago about a boy claiming to be John Winchester's illegitimate son."

"What is this child's name?" Castiel practically demanded, rising from his seat slightly.

Taking another sip of his tea, Danny responded with, "Adam Milligan."

With the name in hand, Castiel 'angeled away', as Danny called it. The vampire chuckled before taking another sip of his tea. What Castiel had neglected to ask was what state Adam Milligan was in, after all, there were about sixteen different Adam Milligan's in the U.S.-at least, last time he checked there were. That and Danny might have also neglected to inform him that Adam had been chewed up by ghouls. Whoopsie. He shrugged, at least it would keep Mikey off his ass-at least for a little while.

* * *

As Danny arrived back home and walked inside his room, he immediately noticed that something was different. Most notably was the fact that Lexi was standing in front of his bookcase, fingers skimming over the spines. He walked over to her silently, resting his head on her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Looking for something, Lex?" He questioned in a soft, velvety tone.

"Yes," she spun around, pushing him back a bit and poking him in the chest. "You. You're avoiding me."

Danny rolled his eyes before walking over to a painting of a stag hanging on the wall. He pulled it aside, revealing a wall safe that he unlocked. He pulled out a glass bottle of bourbon and two glasses. After pouring liberal amounts of his favorite drink into the glasses, he handed one to Lexi before replacing the bottle, closing the safe, and readjusting the painting. At her questioning look, he explained that Damon had the unfortunate tendency to steal his liquor.

"Sounds about right," Lexi commented, taking a sip of her drink. "No offense to you, but your brother's a selfish ass."

"Undoubtedly," Danny replied, drinking from his own glass. "Unfortunately, I don't really like other people talking bad about my brothers – not even you, Lexi."

"Fair enough," she responded, setting her glass on his nightstand before fixing him with a stare. "Why have you been avoiding me?"

"I haven't been," he rolled his eyes at her skeptical look. "I haven't, I promise. I've had a lot on my plate lately – and had a meeting with a friend today." He set his own glass down before walking over to her and placing his hands on her shoulders. "I'll make it up to you. Until Stefan's party, you will have my undivided attention, Lexi Branson."

"How did you - ?"

"Damon texted me," Danny replied with a small shrug and a smile.

"Should've known. You two always have been thick as thieves," she scoffed before moving from his arms and flopping onto his bed. "So, what should we do?"

He looked at her in thought for a moment before shrugging and asking, "Wanna have sex?"

She stared at him for a moment before vamping forward, grabbing him by the collar of his flannel and pushing him down onto the bed. She straddled his hips before her lips covered his, eliciting a satisfied moan from both vampires. _I'm taking that as a resounding 'yes'._

* * *

Danny had to say, this was a bitchin' party. Music, booze, dancing, a hundred blood bags packed together in one little space. It was a vampire's paradise. Or, at least it was, until Elena Gilbert arrived. Upon noticing her, Danny's mood soured significantly. He had been hoping that she would stay away, considering she was on the outs with Stefan at the moment. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the case.

"Two shots of tequila, make that three…and a large bourbon for my friend here," came the rather charming voice of Lexi Branson as she stepped up next to him at the bar.

"I need to see some ID," the barman began.

Danny moved his hand and wiggled his fingers like he had seen on Star Wars, using his compulsion as he said, "You don't need to see her identification."

Lexi elbowed him sharply in the ribs, unable to suppress a smile as she did so.

"That'll be—" the barman tried to speak again.

"Free!" Lexi compelled rather chirpily.

"On the house."

"Thanks!" she replied before elbowing Danny again, saying, "You need to lighten up."

Danny raised his new glass of bourbon, saying, "Few more of these, I'll be right there on the dance floor with ya, sweetheart."

Lexi rolled her eyes before kissing him on the cheek, whispering, "I'll hold you to that, pretty boy."

 _She never got that dance_. That was the one thought that ran through Danny's mind following the aftermath of Lexi's death. It was a sad thought, a lonely thought, one that shouldn't have been there in the first place. If he had just danced with her, perhaps this wouldn't have happened? No, this would have happened regardless of whether or not he danced with her. Her death had occurred because Danny had invited her to a town of vampire-killing maniacs, and he had thought she would be fine. It was solely because of this thought that Danny wasn't angry at Damon for causing her death. The blood wasn't just on Damon's hands; it was also on Danny's.

It was all his fault Lexi Branson was dead.


	6. Chapter 6: Feelin' Saltzy (EDITED)

_June 16, 1863_

 _ **Julia Saltzman**_

 _ **April 16, 1836 – June 9, 1863**_

 _ **"Even on the darkest night, the sun will always rise."**_

 _The dark-haired man frowned at the words as he gently placed a white lily upon the gravestone. His fingers ghosted over the words, his mind struggling to put together what exactly it meant. No doubt something profound – something undeniably Julia. The thought brought forth the saddest of smiles upon the man's face as he sat down in front of the stone._

 _"William is safe. I took him to Austin – your brother-in-law's house – just like you wanted," he stated in a soft tone, fingers playing in the grass beside him. "I thought about keeping him – being a father was something I always dreamed of."_

 _He paused, giving a dry chuckle at her imagined response. "Yes, yes, I'm aware I once said I wanted to be a pirate. You should know better than anyone that that all changed the day I saw you walking down the street." He paused, shaking away the memory as he continued on with the previous conversation, "Anyway, much as I wanted to keep him – he was a part of you, after all – I know he will never be safe in New Orleans. It's not safe for humans."_

 _He paused again, rolling his eyes. "Yes, of course I know it's not safe for me either. Three quarters of this city could – and most likely want to – kill me. They'd be fools to try though. The Mikaelsons would rain down hellfire upon them, I'm sure...at least, I hope so."_

 _He trailed off at this, pursing his lips as he stared off in the direction of the city. His left hand moved to his right, absentmindedly twisting the daylight ring that rested there - a gift from his sire once he had proven that he was in control of his hunger and blood lust upon becoming a vampire. He was still unsure as to why his sire had saved him, or why the Mikaelson's home had been opened to him so easily._

 _Curious though he was to know the answers to these questions, he wasn't stupid enough to ask them aloud. There was a distinct possibility that Klaus would decide that he didn't belong there and would kill him out of sheer boredom._

 _The thought alone would've been enough to drive most vampires away from Niklaus Mikaelson - even Julia had insisted that he run once she found out what and who he was. But Daniel Salvatore was no coward, and he always honored his debts. At the moment, he owed one of the Mikaelsons' his life, and he'd stay with them as long as need be to repay that debt._

 _Daniel shook his head again, letting loose a great sigh as he glanced around. He jumped to his feet quickly as he noticed how dark it had become, the last vestiges of sunlight disappearing over the horizon - making way for the night-bound vampires that would soon roam the city._

 _ **Damn, missed my curfew. Elijah won't be happy.**_ _He grimaced as he dusted off his pants. The Original vampires generally didn't have very many rules that he had to abide by, but they did have an important decree that they demanded he stick to: be in the compound before the sun sets._

 _A simple rule to be sure, one that he had only broken once before this day - on June 9, 1863, to be precise. Elijah had forgiven him for it, and had even been understanding and sympathetic upon discovering that Daniel had been trying and failing to save the woman he loved. That, in his mind, had been punishment enough._

 _Unfortunately, Daniel had no such excuse._ _ **Could say I was ambushed by a vampire.**_ _He mused as he briskly walked out of the cemetery._ _ **I can already imagine Elijah saying 'well, perhaps that wouldn't have happened if you had been on time.'**_ _Daniel sighed, shaking his head as an affectionate smile appeared on his face - his first one all week. No. Better to be honest. Hopefully he'll understand that I lost track of time._

 _Movement on his right jerked him out of his thoughts. He whirled around, grabbing the man by his throat and vamping over to the closest building. Slamming the vampire into the wall, Daniel snarled, exposing his elongated fangs and not even bothering to force away the veins that had appeared beneath his eyes._

 _"_ _You're either brave or foolish," he stated in a smooth tone._

 _"_ _Or, just incredibly smart," the vampire stated in a strong Irish tone._

 _Too late, Daniel realized he wasn't alone. A hand went into his back, tightly gripping his heart. With an audible gasp, Daniel released the Irish vampire, who brushed off his front and readjusted his collar._

 _"_ _Yer a hard man to get ahold of, Salvatore," the Irishman said, beginning to pace in front of him. "Can't touch ye during the day - not without one o' those nifty daylight rings. Can't come near ye at night, what with ye bein' all cooped up in the Mikaelson mansion - "_

 _"_ _Compound," Daniel grunted out, trying to smirk but only managing to grimace as the Irishman looked at him in surprise._

 _"_ _Pardon?"_

 _"_ _We don't really call it a mansion - more of a compound than anything else. Really encompasses what it's all abo -" He was cut off from his rambling as the vampire behind him gave a squeeze of his heart. With a large intake of breath, Daniel stopped talking, only releasing it when the man slackened his grip somewhat._

 _"_ _Now, as I was saying before I was interrupted- quite rudely, I might add," the redhead continued, looking at Daniel pointedly. "Ye've been tough ta grab, Salvatore. But, now that we've got ye, we'll have the Mikaelsons eating from our palms - "_

 _"_ _Who are you exactly?" Daniel interrupted again, quirking an eyebrow. "You're kidnapping me - I think - and you're not even going to introduce yourself? Talk about rude." The dark haired vampire shook his head, sighing dramatically and cringing at the odd feeling of a man's hand inside his chest. "If you don't wish to introduce yourself, that's fine. I'll just start calling you the vampire leprechaun- aghhh. Okay. Okay. I get it. That was offensive." He gasped out as the guy behind him squeezed again before loosening his hold. "I'm not apologizing."_

 _"_ _If I'd known ye had a mouth on ye, Salvatore, I'd've snapped yer neck and been done with ye," the leprechaun said, pausing for a moment. "The name's Declan, by the way. Declan O'Hare."_

 _"_ _Well, Declan, you could always let me go and try that plan next time," Daniel suggested, grimacing as he shifted a bit._

 _"_ _Oh, there won't be a next time, Salvatore," Declan replied, nodding to the vampire behind Daniel._

 _Daniel felt his neck move at an unnatural angle, followed by a loud snapping sound. Everything went dark after that._

 _Sometime later, he sat up with a loud gasp, hand over his chest as his eyes shot open. A feminine hand reached over, gently pushing him back against the bed he was on._

 _"_ _Woah, relax, take it easy. You're safe," the woman said._

 _Daniel squinted his eyes against the darkness of the room, making out a beautiful blonde woman with hazel-green eyes. He glanced around furtively, noting that they were in some sort of warehouse devoid of any windows._ _ **Which means she's a vampire**_ _. He concluded warily, pushing away from her slightly._

 _"_ _Who are you?" He questioned bluntly._

 _"_ _I'm Lexi. Lexi Branson," she replied with a smile before poking him in the chest. "And you better show some appreciation after I just saved your ass, kid."_

" _Did you kill the leprechaun?"_

 _"_ _Uh...the short Irish guy? No," Lexi replied slowly. "But I did kill the guy who almost stole your heart."_

 _"_ _Well, I suppose you only get half my appreciation then," Daniel smiled widely, making a mental note to go after Declan at another time._

* * *

 _November 30, 2009_

Danny groaned as he awoke from yet another dream/memory of Lexi - one of many that had occurred over the last month since Damon had killed her. He stuffed his face into his pillow with a groan, reaching out his left arm as he fumbled around his nightstand. His fingers grasped a glass bottle, shaking it experimentally before tossing it across the room with another groan upon discovering that it was empty.

He was bringing his arm back under his pillow when a vibration on his nightstand prompted him to press his face further into his pillow and release a muffled yell of frustration. He groped around his nightstand once more before grabbing his phone. He squinted at the time, wondering if it really was three in the afternoon and who the hell was calling him.

Rubbing his other hand over his face, he answered the phone with, "What?"

Without even seeing them, Danny knew they were taken aback by his tone. Nonetheless, the man on the other end said, "Hello, is this Daniel Salvatore? Stefan's guardian?"

"Who wants to know?" Danny questioned warily, his curiosity piqued at the mention of his brother - the one he wasn't pissed off at and currently avoiding.

"This is Alaric Saltzman - I took over for coach Tanner as the history teacher in Stefan's class," the man replied, prompting the vampire to roll onto his back and sit up fully at the name. "I've noticed that Stefan's been out for a while and I wanted to - "

"Look, Ric - can I call you Ric? - I'm gonna stop you right there," Danny interrupted him. "I have a feeling that we're gonna be discussing some important things - things I'm not quite sober enough to deal with at the moment."

"Oh, wait, so you're-?"

"MC Hammered? Yep," Danny replied. "You ever have one of those really shitty months where draining a liquor store dry sounds like a better idea than being an adult and grieving in a healthy way?"

"Buddy, I know exactly what you mean," Alaric laughed after a moment. "Tell ya what, how about you swing by the school tonight when you're...functioning. Does 7 work for you?"

"You're an angel, Ric. See you then," Danny replied, ending the call and flopping on the bed. He stared at the ceiling for a moment before frowning and saying, "I never did kill that leprechaun."

* * *

That night, Danny made his way to the history classroom, looking around for the – so far – absent teacher. His eyes were drawn to the chalkboard which read, in predictably messy handwriting 'ALARIC SALTZMAN'. He raised an eyebrow at this, his interest and curiosity once more piqued by the unusual and familiar name.

"Bit of a mouthful, I know. Please, call me Ric – even though you've been doing so already," came a masculine voice from behind him.

Danny slowly turned to face a tall – though not quite as tall as himself – man with light brown hair and blue eyes. An amused smirk worked its way onto the vampire's face as the man looked at him in mild shock-and maybe even a glimmer of recognition?

"Daniel Salvatore, pleasure," Danny smiled, shaking the man's hand before gesturing at the chalkboard, chuckling as he continued with, "I can tell you're a history teacher. The handwriting gives it all away."

Alaric looked at him in mild confusion, asking, "What do you mean?"

"Honestly, have you ever met a history teacher with halfway decent-no offense- handwriting?"

The man gave a small chuckle, seeming to relax somewhat as he went to sit behind his desk. He gathered some papers up-presumably Stefan's- and laid them on the desk. While he did this, Danny grabbed a student's desk and pulled it over, sitting on top of it as he waited for the man to speak.

"Mr. Salvatore—" Alaric began before Danny held up a hand to stop him.

"Please, Ric, call me Danny. Mr. Salvatore was my... biological father's name," Danny scowled slightly at this before replacing it with a politely interested smile.

"Right, well, Stefan has missed quite a few classes this semester-more than what is usually allowed. Admittedly, he does get his work turned in on time, but I would appreciate it if Stefan would actually show up. If he misses too many days, the school might fail him," Alaric explained in a rather serious tone.

"Hmm, that is quite the problem, Ric. You see, Stefan's been going through a lot lately-his uncle disappeared who knows where, his best friend died, and his girlfriend dumped his ass. It's a lot to take in over the span of just a couple months. No matter, I shall endeavor to ensure that my baby brother makes it to school on time. All I ask is that you cut the guy some slack," Danny replied smoothly, leaning back slightly.

"Wow, I'm sorry to hear about that. I'll try to keep an eye out for him-but I can only do that if he actually shows up."

"Understood, Mr. Saltzman, thank you for understanding," Danny replied, rising from his seat to shake the man's hand, fully intent on leaving this teenage prison.

He was stopped from leaving, however, by a young female entering the room. Honestly, Danny thought she was gorgeous-then again, he always was a sucker for blondes. The girl was a pretty blonde with the most breath-taking mint green eyes Danny had ever seen. She wore a white, knee length dress and white heels, a backpack slung over her shoulders. She gave Danny a small smile, which he subsequently returned, before turning to the history teacher.

"Ric, are you ready to go yet? It's getting kinda late," she said to the man.

"Yeah, just about. Just finished up the meeting with Mr. Salvatore – sorry – Danny," Ric amended at Danny's sharp look. "Why don't you give me a minute to gather my stuff and I'll be out."

Already growing bored of their conversation – though he was, admittedly, curious as to what their relation was – Danny gave the pair a polite nod before making his way out of the classroom, headed for the exit. He had just made it to the exit when a feminine voice rang out behind him.

"Hey! Can you hold that door open for me?"

Danny obliged, holding the door open for the girl as she ran down the hall. She gave him another smile-one he couldn't help but return- and said, "Thank you! I'm Karen, by the way. Karen Saltzman." She paused, smiling as she caught Danny's confused expression. "I'm Ric's younger sister – I'm a teacher's assistant."

"Ah. Daniel Salvatore, pleasure," Danny replied, giving her a charming smile and a tip of his head.

"It's nice to meet you, Daniel," Karen replied holding out a hand for him to shake, subsequently dropping her backpack as she did so.

With a small sigh, Danny stooped to pick it up, Karen doing the same. Their hands touched, and Danny simultaneously felt sparks shoot up his hand, as well as the feeling of having his energy drained. At the same time, a nearby lamppost exploded, prompting the pair to jump back from each other. Danny looked at the girl, a mixture of irritation and thought appearing on his face. Karen, for her part, looked both scared and confused, constantly staring at her hand.

"What just—" she started, unable to finish her sentence.

Danny looked down at the hand that she had touched, flexing it experimentally before checking his daylight ring to make sure she hadn't done anything to it. Nope, still had that same magical aura. Speaking of, so did Karen-though it was fading from her body rapidly. _Which could only mean…_

"Son of a bitch."

"What? What is it, Daniel?"

"It's Danny, and you're a fucking Siphoner," Danny replied, mild intrigue appearing in his voice.

"Siphoner? What's that?" Karen asked, frowning in confusion.

"Rare classification of witch. They get their power essentially by stealing others'. Kinda like parasites when you think about it," Danny replied, tapping his chin at this last thought.

"Witch? What are you talking about? Witches aren't real!"

Danny opened his mouth to respond when he received a text from Stefan, saying **Family Meeting. Now.** He rolled his eyes before turning back to Karen, running his hands through his already haphazard hair in frustration.

"Look, I don't have the time to properly explain this to you, so I'm giving you a quick rundown: yes, witches exist. Vampires exist. A shit ton of supernatural creatures exist, so you'll just have to deal with that, Karen. Live it, love it, and accept it. Because, the second you unlocked your siphon abilities, you became one of us."

"'One of us'? Are you a-?"

"I'm a fuck mothering vampire, sweetheart. One of the friendliest you'll meet," he paused, sighing slightly at her confused and startled expression and cursing his inability to mind his own damn business. "I also happen to know quite a bit about witchery, so I'll try to help you out a bit with your juju. Not today, though. I've got plans," Danny smirked, preparing to walk away before Karen grabbed his jacket.

"Wait! You can't just expect me to take this on blind faith!" she argued.

"I don't, you'll get your proof tomorrow. Meet me at the old Fell's Church area after school. Until then, don't tell anyone what you are-it'll become more dangerous for you if you do. Stay away from the Bennetts, Stefan Salvatore, and Elena Gilbert-and you should be fine. Pretty much, just avoid any sort of physical contact with anyone in this town," Danny replied, patting her head and vamping away.

* * *

Upon entering his home, Danny was surprised to find that there was no one waiting for him downstairs. With a frown, he tilted his head, listening closely for any sign of life – or unlife, considering they were vampires – within the house. He managed to make out choked sobs, trying and failing to be suppressed. Immediately, he vamped upstairs, barging into Stefan's without even bothering to knock.

The two stared at each other for a moment. Stefan wore a startled, yet distressed expression upon his face. Danny, however, kept his face carefully blank as he studied his youngest brother. He then walked forward, grabbing Stefan and pulling him into a tight embrace. The youngest Salvatore was stiff for a moment before shakily returning it, breaking down in his arms.

Danny stood there for what felt like eons, not saying a word, just letting Stefan get everything out. After a few minutes, Stefan pulled away, facing away from his brother as he rubbed his hands over his face.

"Feel any better?" Danny questioned, leaning against a desk.

"Yeah, thanks," Stefan replied before turning to face him, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You're not gonna tell Damon about this, are you?"

"Considering the fact that I'm refusing to even acknowledge his existence at the moment – I'd say that's a pretty safe assumption to make," Danny remarked in a dry tone before abruptly changing the subject. "What's the big emergency you texted me about?"

"I believe the words I used were 'family meeting'," he paused for a moment. "At this point it's less of a family meeting and more of an intervention."

"An intervention for...?" Danny trailed off warily.

"Damon."

"'Bout bloody time. Shall I go downstairs and set up the circle of chairs?" Danny snickered, receiving a roll of Stefan's eyes and a playful shove. "In all seriousness though, Damon can go fuck himself. I've put up with – and stood by him through – a lot of shit. Killing Lexi is where I draw the line. I'm not talking to him until the first words I hear are an apology and an admission that he's a great big bag of dicks."

"Danny - " Stefan sighed.

"Stefan," Danny responded in a pleasant tone, though his eyes flashed warningly.

They stared at each other for a moment before Stefan relented and let the subject drop. Instead, he proceeded to inform his older brother of all the events that had happened that day.

* * *

 **A/N: Updated as of 5/22/2018**

 **Also, I'd like to state that I do appreciate reviews - and usually try to answer comments, questions, and concerns, I don't appreciate people constantly asking me to update. I write when I get motivation - and telling me to update doesn't motivate me at all. Quite the opposite, in fact. I apologize if this seems passive aggressive at all, but having people constantly tell me to update really stresses me out.**

 **I hope you understand, and thank you for reading. As always, read a review, lovelies!**

 **Always and forever,**

 **~Nile**


	7. Chapter 7: Teaching is Draining(Edited)

Chapter 7: Teaching is Draining

 _December 1, 2009_

 _The most extraordinary thing happened yesterday. Although, given what I've seen and experienced during my time as a vampire, 'extraordinary' might be stretching it quite a bit. Nevertheless, I happened upon quite a peculiar and rare creature: a Siphoner._

 _Now, while I may have seen Siphoners in the past, this one stuck out to me a bit more. She was pretty - for one. For another, she wasn't a homicidal sociopath like Parker and those Heretics from a hundred years ago. Perhaps this is due to the fact that she wasn't raised in a coven? Or that she had never seen magic in her life until I exposed her to it? Hopefully, closer study will lead to answers to these questions and more._

 _One such question I ask myself is: why the bloody hell did I agree to help teach her magic? I could very well have watched her struggle from afar - I have no need to directly involve myself in her life. A deep, somewhat darker part of me believes that perhaps she may be a useful tool - no doubt a stray thought left over from my time with Klaus and those years with my humanity turned off. Another part thinks that I'm doing it out of some need to settle a debt with Julia - or to make her happy from the beyond. That irks me quite a bit, considering I had long since buried and crushed any feelings I had once had for her._

 _Getting back on topic, this is Gabriel's influence, I'm sure. I wouldn't be the 'nice guy who has to help people in need' if it wasn't for him. Snarky feathered git._

 _Side note: Damon's still a dick._

* * *

Danny sat upon one of the fallen columns of the old church, absentmindedly twirling a vial of red liquid between the fingers of his left hand. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply and releasing it slowly, a small smile creeping onto his face as he enjoyed the peaceful serenity that surrounded him - for the moment anyway.

It wasn't often that the vampire got to enjoy quiet little moments like this. If he was perfectly honest with himself, the last time he could remember feeling like this was when he was at his beach house - though, given the magical, naturally calming aura of the place, he wasn't quite sure if it actually counted. Nevertheless, he relished in the serene quiet that permeated the mostly deserted forest.

The silence was broken, however, by the soft crunching of leaves underfoot. Judging by the sound, he was able to deduce that they were made by a female - most likely the girl who appeared to barely be of drinking age that he was supposed to be teaching. He had to admit, he never thought he'd be teaching a witch-especially a Siphoner- how to use magic. He opened his eyes, spotting the little witch making her way towards him, an angry yet wary expression on her face. As she got closer to him, she folded her arms, shooting daggers at him.

"You didn't tell me where this place was," she accused. "I had to ask Ric, and it was very hard trying to explain why exactly I wanted to spend my time in the ruins of an old church."

"Whoopsie," Danny replied with a raise of his eyebrows, smirking slightly as he suppressed a snicker of amusement.

"You said you're a vampire, right? Shouldn't you be burning to death or sparkling or something?" she said, traces of sarcasm and disbelief etched in her tone.

"Vampires don't sparkle, sweetheart. Sunlight does, however, kill us-unless we have nifty little pieces of jewelry that protect us," Danny replied, showing off the ring on the ring finger of his right hand.

Karen reached over to grab his hand, hoping to examine the ring closer. Danny pulled his hand away abruptly before pulling an amulet out of the pocket of his plaid flannel. It was a rather simple silver chain, attached to it was a small vial filled with…

"Is that blood?" Karen asked, recoiling slightly.

"Vampire blood, to be precise. Mine, actually. I didn't want you to draw directly from me-not just yet, anyway. We need to work on your control first before we do anything else."

"Riiight. Vampires are a thing. You know, you still haven't given me any proof of that. Or witches, for that matter," the Siphoner said, crossing her arms.

"You're right, I haven't."

Danny allowed the veins to appear beneath his eyes, and his fangs to show. He vamped over to the girl, stopping just in front of her. She gave a small scream of surprise before falling backward, prompting Danny to laugh. The veins and the fangs receded as he continued to laugh, whilst Karen scowled and stood up, dusting herself off.

"That's not funny, you ass," she said rather crossly, punching him in the arm.

"Y'know, I haven't met many people who would punch a vampire, especially when they just learned they exist," Danny smirked, sobering up.

"Yeah, well, I'm not most people."

"I take it that means you now believe in things that go bump in the night?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow as he took a step back.

Karen rolled her eyes, huffing slightly as she did so. There was a silence between the two-not an uncomfortable one, but it was filled with a certain kind of…tension. Danny smirked, rather amused by the girl's stubbornness. It was actually kind of adorable, in a way.

"What can a vampire do, exactly?"

"Hmm? Oh, all sorts of things. Increased strength, speed, senses, durability, healing factor, immortality of course, enhanced emotions-if we choose to keep them-limited telepathy, and mind compulsion," Danny replied, ticking them off his fingers as he said them.

"Mind compulsion? You can compel people to do whatever you want?" Karen asked warily, taking a step back.

"There are a few exceptions, of course. We can't compel other vampires, witches-even Siphoners-pretty much any supernatural being is off-limits. Oh, and if you have ingested or are carrying vervain-we can't compel you either."

"What about telepathy? You mentioned you had it. Have you been reading my mind?" Karen accused.

"I try to avoid reading minds whenever possible. There is some dirty, kinky shit in peoples' minds, let me tell ya," Danny replied, rolling his eyes and smirking.

"How old are you?"

"Y'know, it's rude to ask someone their age. Because you're hot, though, I'll answer. I was born on September 13, 1836. I died September 15, 1861," Danny replied in an upbeat tone, a cheery smile on his face as he said this.

Karen's face heated up at his compliment before she frowned, mentally calculating before saying, "So, you're 173 years old? And you've been 25 for 148 years?"

Danny hesitated, fidgeting with the amulet for a moment before replying with, "Sure. Now, you can ask more questions later, sweetheart. For now, we need to get down to your training."

With that said, Danny tossed her the amulet, which she barely managed to catch. She immediately felt power surging through her veins, being pulled from the magical blood in the amulet. The wind picked up slightly, sending leaves whipping around their feet. Danny hesitated before stepping closer to her, walking around to stand right behind her.

"What are you feeling right now?" He questioned.

"Power," she said immediately.

 _No shit._ The vampire suppressed an eye roll. "Describe it. Is it like a river? A volcano? Does it flow or is it like an eruption?"

"I- I suppose it's flowing - like a stream," she managed to reply after a moment of hesitation.

"Good, now I want you to focus on that feeling," Danny instructed, hoping he was doing this correctly and wishing once more that he hadn't agreed to this. "Imagine the river in your mind. Flowing, shimmering, dancing with light from the sun. Its edges sweeping over rocks and soil. Close your eyes and picture it." He paused for a moment, watching as she did as instructed. "Can you see it?"

She nodded slowly, brow furrowed in concentration, sweat beading on her face.

"Good. Now, I want you to imagine something blocking the flow - rocks, a beaver's dam, whatever floats your boat."

The wind died down, and Karen's eyes fluttered as she fell back into Danny's arms-weakened by the effort to pull back from the power. Danny held her tightly, brushing her hair from her face and giving her a proud smile. Karen smiled weakly in return, holding up the still magic-infused amulet of blood rather triumphantly. He helped her to her feet, taking the vial and turning it in his hands.

"Congratulations, you've learned how not to suck the magic out of everything," he grinned tossing her the vial again. "Now, do it five more times."

The woman's smile dropped and her face paled significantly at the vampire's words, prompting him to give an evil smirk in response.

* * *

The following night found Danny pouring over a book in his room, his fingers skimming over the words as his eyebrows knitted together thoughtfully. His mouth moved soundlessly as the corners turned down in a small frown.

A small knock on his door pulled him from his concentration as he lifted his head up curiously, wondering who it was. The door opened to reveal Damon, prompting the older vampire to frown once more and return to his reading. The younger Salvatore took this as an invitation to stride further into the room and flop onto his older brother's bed.

"How do you feel about a road trip?" Damon asked suddenly. "Little brotherly bonding time? Me and you, going out, kicking ass, drinking - reliving the glory days of two months ago."

Danny didn't even spare him a glance as he replaced the book in its proper place on the bookshelf before pulling out another one and skimming through it.

"Dude, c'mon, you can't still be mad at me, it's been a month," Damon rolled his eyes, pouting like a child. "And you call me immature. I mean, the whole 'silent treatment thing' is for little kids. I thought you were all about 'being the bigger man' and being 'a positive role model for your younger brothers to look up to' or whatever."

Danny suppressed the urge to glare at his younger brother, instead turning his back to him as he flipped another page in his book. He heard a small sigh from Damon, something that should have put him on his guard.

"Fine, have it your way then."

There was a flurry of movement behind him before Danny felt his neck snap in an unnatural direction. After that, everything went dark.


	8. Chapter 8: Awkward Road Trip(Edited)

Chapter 8: Awkward Road Trip Down Memory Lane

 _September 15, 1864_

 _Daniel Salvatore stood at the front door of the Salvatore Mansion, taking in deep breaths to steady and calm himself. It had been three years since he had seen his brothers and his biological father. Three years since he had been human. Three years since his life took a turn-in his opinion-for the better. He shook himself of these thoughts. He was supposed to be human, and so that's what he would be._

 _Steeling his nerves, he knocked on the door before stepping back a few paces to wait. He looked around the front of the house, pleasant memories of his time spent here, running and playing with his brothers surfaced in his mind's eye. A smile crept its way onto his face before he heard the door open, and he turned to see his face staring back at him. Damon._

 _"D-Daniel? Is that-can it possibly be?" Damon stuttered, seeming stunned as he stepped out onto the front porch._

 _"It is good to see you again, brother. I trust you have been well?" Daniel smiled, embracing his brother and clapping him on the back in a bro hug._

 _Damon hugged him back, and they stayed like that for a few moments before the younger Salvatore stepped back, holding him at arm's length, saying, "How are you still here? We were told you were dead-that you had deserted."_

 _"A story for another time, brother. Now, are you going to leave me out here waiting, or are you going to invite me in?" Daniel smiled, clapping him on the shoulder._

 _"Right, yes, of course, please come in. I am sure Stefan will be most excited to see you," Damon replied, smiling broadly before stepping into the house._

 _Daniel hesitated at the threshold before following him, glancing around and noting with distaste that the place hadn't changed much over the years. He looked up the stairs, and had to stop himself from using his vampire hearing to locate the residents of the house. He turned his head to Damon as he called out to Stefan, smiling at the prospect of seeing his youngest brother again._

 _Said brother appeared down the stairs, accompanied by a young woman with brown hair and eyes. Daniel supposed she was rather pretty, but something about her set off alarm bells in his head, something he couldn't quite place. Perhaps it was the way she smiled flirtatiously at him, or the way his brothers seemed to look at her adoringly-Stefan's gaze seeming a bit…odd to him. He ignored all this for a moment as he embraced Stefan, and the three brothers shared a moment to rejoice in the fact that they were together again. That moment ended however, when the Salvatore patriarch entered the room to see what the commotion was about._

 _"Daniel? You are alive?" came the surprised voice of Giuseppe Salvatore._

 _Daniel turned toward him slowly, his fists clenching as he struggled to hold back the massive amounts of anger and hatred he held towards the man. This sorry excuse of a parent had made his life and the lives of his brothers a living hell over the years, not to mention that he was the whole reason Daniel had joined the Confederacy, despite his own beliefs on the matter. Plus, he was marginally sure that he had something to do with Lillian's death._

 _"No thanks to you, Giuseppe," Daniel replied in the usual cold manner he specifically reserved for the man_

 _The man seemed - surprisingly - taken aback at his tone, and replied angrily with, "You may be an adult, and you may have just come home, but you will show some respect. I am your father, and—"_

 _"Oh, burn in hell for all eternity. You're a piss poor excuse for a father, and you know it. The only reason why Stefan and Damon turned out as well as they did was because of me-and you damn well better remember that," Daniel replied, turning on his heel and marching upstairs to where his room was._

* * *

 _December 3, 2009_

Danny inhaled sharply, coughing and spluttering as he rubbed his neck. He glanced around, noting that he was in the back seat of Damon's Camaro. Looking at the front seats, he spotted Damon in the driver's seat, with Elena Gilbert riding shotgun.

"Well, good morning, sleeping beauty," Damon teased, looking at him through his rear view mirror.

Danny threw him his most frosty glare before turning to Elena and holding out his hand for her to shake, "We haven't been formally introduced yet, I'm Daniel Salvatore."

She seemed taken aback for a moment before hesitantly shaking his hand and saying, "Elena Gilbert. Stefan says good things about you."

"Probably because I'm not a manipulative bastard like his other brother," Danny replied with a small shrug, retracting his hand.

"You know, I'm right here," Damon commented dryly.

"So, how did Sir Dickbag rope you into this wonderfully awkward road trip?" Danny questioned, ignoring Damon's comment.

"Again, I'm right here," Damon waved his hand.

"Oh, he uh saved me after my car crashed," Elena replied, glancing between the two confusedly. "I know it's none of my business, but why are you so mad at Damon?"

"He killed Lexi," Danny replied simply.

"Really? You're still pissed at me for that?" Damon rolled his eyes.

"He does have a point. I mean, Stefan's still talking to him - and he was Lexi's best friend - "

"Lexi didn't take Stefan's virginity," Danny replied sharply.

An awkward silence followed this statement as Danny settled himself in the backseat, facing towards the window. For a brief moment, he contemplated jumping out of the car while it was still moving - even going so far as to give the door an experimental tug. Unfortunately, Damon had had the foresight to enable the child lock, preventing the oldest Salvatore from making an easy escape.

"So, uh, Daniel - " Elena began awkwardly.

"Danny," he corrected.

"Right, Danny," she admonished. "Did you ever meet Katherine?"

"Yep. She was a conniving, manipulative bitch, and I hope only that, one day, she'll experience the unending agony and torture of a thousand hells," Danny smiled pleasantly. "Preferably at my hands - but I'm not picky."

"Wow, tell us what you really think," Damon rolled his eyes.

"Why do you hate Katherine so much?" Elena questioned.

"You mean 'how did I become the sole sane Salvatore'?" Danny rephrased the question, snickering slightly at his alliteration. When Elena nodded, he replied, "Beats the hell outta me. I always thought I was the crazy one - pretty sure I still am. I'm just not a dumbass when it comes to Katherine. I know who she is - I could see through that carefully fabricated facade she wore around my brothers."

"So...you hate her because she lied to your brothers?" Elena managed to put together.

"And manipulated them into risking their lives to try to save her own skin. Not to mention the fact that her manipulations caused a rift between my brothers that is still there to this day," Danny paused, his eyes sliding over Damon for a brief moment. "No matter how pissed off or disappointed I am in them, they're still my brothers - and no one dicks with my brothers."

"Aww, Danno, that warms my nonexistent heart," Damon smirked, placing a hand over his heart.

"Elena, be a dear and tell Damon I said to go fuck himself," Danny smiled politely at the girl.

"Annnd, warm fuzzy bonding moment over," Damon rolled his eyes.

From there, the car ride consisted of intermittent, awkward silences. Damon tried several times to get his brother to talk to him, but was met with stony silence in return. Elena tried to bridge the gap between the two, but after several unsuccessful attempts, gave up and talked to Damon instead. She questioned him about the whereabouts of her car, and asked if the man who tried to come after her was a vampire. This piqued Danny's interest a bit. Despite being a vampire, he'd always had a wolf mentality - protect your pack, and defend your territory. This vampire was a stranger encroaching on his territory, and that was something Danny just couldn't abide by.

"You didn't know him?" Elena asked, glancing between both brothers.

Seeing as how he didn't know who she was talking about, Danny gave a small shrug as his brother replied, "If I've never met him, I wouldn't know him. I mean, it's not like we all hang out together at the vamp bar and grill."

At that moment, they drove up and stopped in front of a bar called 'Bree's Bar.'

"Where are we? You brought me to a bar?" Elena questioned.

"Oh, thank the gods," Danny clasped his hands together in mock prayer.

"Damon, I'm not old enough. They're not gonna let me in," Elena stated as she and Damon opened their doors.

"Sure they will - and there he goes," Damon snickered, as he opened his brother's door and watched him vamp into the bar.

Danny slowed down a bit as he walked into the bar, taking a seat at the farthest end away from the door. He waved the bartender over, smiling charmingly at the dark-skinned female as he requested, "Top-shelf bourbon, make it a double and keep'em comin'."

He pulled a crisp, $50 bill from his pocket and placed it on the bar. She smiled at him, grabbing a glass and pouring his drink, "Rough day?"

"Oh, honey you have no idea," Danny remarked, taking the glass from her and consuming the whole thing in one go.

She fetched him another drink, which he sipped more slowly this time around as Damon and Elena walked through the door. He raised an eyebrow as the the bartender hopped over the bar and began kissing Damon passionately. Danny looked down at his drink, tilting it side to side slightly. _I'm_ _gonna_ _need a lot more of these._ He sighed, downing the rest of it in one go.

She climbed back over the bar, and was preparing to pour Danny another glass when the vampire forestalled her, holding up his hand and requesting that she leave the bottle. She looked at him skeptically before Danny tossed a $100 on top of the $50 - way more than the bottle was worth. With a small shrug and a smile, she grabbed a new bottle, placing it down in front of him.

She then lined up some shot glasses, calling out as she poured them, "Listen up, everybody! Here's to the man that broke my heart, crushed my soul, destroyed my life, and ruined any and all chances of happiness!" She placed shots in front of Elena and Damon saying, "Drink up!"

"If it makes you feel any better, he did kinda did the same thing to me," Danny informed her, uncapping the bottle and pouring liberal amounts into his glass.

"Oh, now you're just being dramatic," Damon rolled his eyes, a teasing smile on his face.

Danny responded by flipping him the bird - which Damon happily declared was progress and took Elena's drink as a victory shot. The bartender- Bree - talked to Damon and Elena for a moment before being called away to deal with another customer. The two chatted for a bit, and Danny tuned them both out until he heard his name being brought up.

" - I'm sure if you just apologize to him - " Elena was saying.

"I shouldn't have to. He's always forgiven me for crap like this in the past. I didn't apologize then, and I'm not apologizing now," Damon interrupted her.

"This is obviously different, Damon," Elena said in a tone of mild exasperation.

"How so?" He questioned.

She was silent for a moment before she said, "Imagine if Danny killed Katherine. How would you feel?"

Damon was quiet, glancing over at his brother, who poured himself another drink and ignored him. Elena patted his shoulder and told him to think about it while she went outside and made a phone call. Damon went over and talked quietly to Bree for a moment before settling down in a seat next to Danny, seeming upset.

The younger Salvatore was quiet for a moment before he said, "Look, I'm sorry. If I had known about you and Lexi - "

"You would've killed her anyway. Because, let's face it, when it comes to Katherine Pierce, everyone comes second. Everyone's lives are disposable - Stefan's, Elena's, mine," Danny replied in a sharp tone laced with disapproval and disappointment.

"Oh, like you wouldn't do the same for someone you love - " Damon rolled his eyes.

"No, Damon, I wouldn't," Danny replied, turning slightly in his seat to look at his brother. "You and Stefan are my brothers. Don't you ever think that there is anything in Heaven, Hell, and everything in between that I would ever put in front of you two. Don't you ever think that there isn't anything I would sacrifice to keep you two safe. Don't you - " he stopped for a moment, looking away and swallowing thickly before turning back to his brother. "Don't you ever think that I will love anyone more than my brothers - or that I would ever stop loving you two no matter how much stupid shit you do."

Damon was quiet, and had the decency to look somewhat ashamed. He watched his brother walk away and, for the first time in a long while, he felt genuinely touched.

Danny walked around town for a while after that, needing to clear his head. What he had said to Damon was absolutely true. There was nothing he would ever put in front of his brothers. Not even Julia - when he had still been madly in love with her, anyway. He would've sacrificed her in a heartbeat if either one of his brothers were in danger.

 _Why don't they get that?_ He wondered, idly kicking away a pebble. _I'm sure I've proven it to them many times before. I protected them from Giuseppe, I sent Lexi to Stefan - although, granted, they probably don't know about that. I came back to Stefan and knocked some sense into him after his meeting with Klaus and the subsequent Ripper binge that followed. I looked after Damon after that incident with Lexi and helped him flip his switch back on. Hell, I even forgave him after he killed all those people - including Zach's pregnant wife._

He paused, frowning at the ground. _Good gods, were they anyone else, I probably would've killed them both by now._ He shrugged, continuing onward. _Something to bring up during the next inevitable argument with my brothers._

* * *

Some time later, night had fallen. Danny was still walking around town, enjoying the peaceful quiet that usually fell when the sun had set. Unfortunately, the quiet was broken rapidly as he heard the sounds of fighting. Danny was about to turn away and ignore it when he heard Elena begging someone not to hurt 'him'. The only 'him' she could be referring to was -

"Damon," Danny realized, vamping away in the direction of the noise.

He ran into an old factory area and, upon quickly observing his surroundings - Damon was laying facedown near a wall, Elena was standing her ground, looking visibly shaken, and a somewhat familiar vampire was staring at Damon as though debating whether or not he wanted to go for round two. Danny saved him the trouble of deciding when he grabbed the man's collar, snarling in his face before throwing him into one of the large metal containers near Elena.

The vampire got up swiftly, vamping toward Danny. Danny threw a right hook, knocking the vampire to the ground and firmly planting his foot on the vampire's neck.

"Let it go, Lee," Danny advised in a warning tone. "I'm not a vampire you want to fight - and you'll have to do so if you ever plan on harming either of my brothers ever again. Are we clear?"

The vampire - Lee - tried unsuccessfully to remove Danny's foot before nodding slowly. Danny removed his foot and helped him up before sending him on his merry way. He then walked over to Damon, helping him to his feet as well. He stared at his brother for a moment before punching him in the face, knocking him down once more.

"Oww...what the hell was that for?" Damon groaned, holding his nose.

"Lexi," Danny shrugged, a small smile on his face as he held his hand out to Damon once more.

The younger Salvatore eyed it warily for a moment before taking it, allowing his older brother to pull him to his feet. He surveyed Damon carefully, looking for any injuries or possible permanent damage.

"I'll rent us a motel room. I'm not riding in a car with someone who smells like a gas station," Danny remarked, smiling when Damon gave the 'fair enough' expression.


	9. Chapter 9: No Dancing for You(Edited)

**Chapter 9: No Dancing for You**

 _December 8, 2009_

 _"Phasmatus ignitum-"_

" _Ignitium_ ," Danny corrected, lazily turning the page of his book.

"Ugh, what's the difference?" Karen complained, throwing her hands in the air in frustration.

"The difference, my impatient young pupil, is that the spell won't work the way you're pronouncing it," Danny flipped another page, smirking as he looked up at her from his sitting position against a tree. "Didn't you read the Latin book I got you?"

"Some of us actually have jobs that prevent us from reading constantly," Karen replied dryly, looking down at the line of salt she was supposed to be igniting.

Danny and Karen were sitting in the middle of the woods, not too far from the sealed tomb of vampires. After recalling that Karen was a Siphoner, and that the tomb was sealed with magic, Danny had figured it was probably best if they moved away from it a bit as she practiced with her magic. After being told of the legion of undead bloodsuckers beneath their feet, she had whole-heartedly agreed. At the present time, Danny was trying to instruct her on the use of one of the most simple spells: lighting stuff on fire. Currently, she was holding a vial of Danny's blood, trying and failing to pronounce the words needed to activate the spell.

"Fair enough," Danny conceded, not at all bothered by the subtle jab. "But, that's no excuse. You said you wanted to learn magic, and I can only help you if you put forth the effort."

"Not all of us are fluent in every freakin' language," She huffed, glancing down at the words she was supposed to be reciting.

" _Bene ergo ita sugit vos esse_ ," Danny smirked at her, flipping another page.

"What did you say?" Karen questioned, her eyes narrowing slightly

"Maybe, if you read the book earlier, you would know," Danny responded in a singsong voice.

"You're an ass."

"Old news, sweetheart."

She stared at him for a moment, her lips twitching upward slightly before she said, "Maybe I just need some incentive..."

Danny closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and lowering his book, saying, "I know I'm going to regret asking this, but what kind of incentive?"

"Well...there's this school dance that Ric is making me to go to...and I'd rather not go alone. And since you're the only guy I really know..."

"I don't know if I should be offended that you're only inviting me because you have literally no other choice, or flattered because..." he paused, frowning a bit. "Nope. I'm offended."

She stared at him patiently, waiting to see if he would agree or disagree to her request. He mulled it over for a bit, drumming his fingers on the cover of his book. After a full minute of this, he finally said, "If you can successfully perform this spell before the dance starts, I'll be your date."

"Promise?"

"Promise," he agreed.

Grinning widely, she siphoned the magic from the vial of blood, held her hand over the line of salt, and recited, " _Phasmatus Ignitium Dos Ex Salvo, Phasmatis Ignitium Dos On Salvo, Phasmatis Ignitium Dos On Salvo._ "

Immediately, the salt ignited beneath her hand, prompting Danny to drop his book and open his mouth widely in shock. Karen released the flow of magic, extinguishing the flame and looking at Danny triumphantly.

"You- I - how did you...?" He spluttered for a moment. After a few seconds of thought, he narrowed his eyes, saying, "You tricked me - you already knew how to do the spell. You manipulative- "

"Actually, that was my first time doing the spell. I practiced saying the words beforehand, though," she smiled.

He stared at her for a moment, impressed with her cunning. He rose to his feet, dusting off the back of his pants as he said, "Deal's a deal. What time do I need to be there?"

"6:30 - 7."

"Don't these dances usually have some sort of theme or whatever?" Danny questioned, not entirely familiar with what happened at these high school dances.

"It's a decades dance - the 50s - "

Danny took a step back, disbelief written all over his features as he said, "You're fucking kidding me, right?"

Karen frowned, ignoring his profanity for the moment as she said, "No, I'm not. Why, got a problem with the 50's?"

"Worst fucking decade of my life. It dragged on and on, seemed like it lasted over a millennia."

"That bad?"

"You have no fucking idea, sweetheart," Danny replied dryly, shoving away the memories that tried to creep forward, holding his hand out to help her up.

She took it, smiling at the spark she felt as their skin touched. Danny had said it was probably her Siphon abilities reacting to the magical angel Grace inside him, but she was hopeful that it was something else entirely. Danny had been pretty forthcoming about his hunter life, one that he had started circa 1975, not long after meeting Gabriel. He had explained everything to her, regaling her with all the tales of the hunts he had been on, the monsters he had killed, the people he had saved, his encounter with Lucifer. She had some trouble wrapping her mind around the fact that Satan was roaming the earth, and the fact that the angels were 'winged assholes', as Danny had eloquently put it. However, he hadn't lied to her so far, so she saw no reason not to trust him on this.

Despite all the information about his life he had shared, Karen couldn't help but feel that he was still hiding things from her. He never discussed his life pre-1975, except for September of 1864, when the vampires had been rounded up and killed. Plus, there were a few years missing in his stories, which he had evaded questions about when asked.

"Do you ever plan on telling me?" Karen sighed, placing her hands on her hips.

"Maybe someday, perhaps after I've dealt with Katherine," Danny shrugged.

"So, your problem with the 50's has to do with Pierce?"

"Let's be honest, most of my problems revolve around that bitch. Seems to be a Salvatore thing."

"I'll make you a deal; I won't press you about the 50's-or Katherine's involvement in it. In return, you don't complain about having to go to the dance. Deal?" she asked, holding her hand out.

"Deal," Danny replied, shaking it with a small smile.

* * *

Danny stood shirtless in front of the mirror, frowning at the suit jackets he held in his hands. In his right, he held a grey jacket, in his left a black. He held each of them to his chest, trying to decide which one would be best for the dance in a few hours. Loathe as he was to go to a dance for a decade he didn't care for, filled with a room of horny children, he was determined to look nice - if only so Karen wouldn't bitch about it to him.

"Grey suit, aqua tie," came the voice of Stefan behind him.

"Thanks," Danny said with a small smile at his youngest brother through the mirror.

"Must be some girl if she managed to convince you to wear a suit," Stefan commented, raising an eyebrow. "You sure you're not rushing into things with her?"

"You're right, Stefan. Maybe I should stalk her for a few months and then ask her out," Danny shot back, referring to Elena.

There was a moment of silence, then, "When did you get the tattoos?"

Danny smirked at his brother's change of subject before fondly recalling each tattoo that he had. On his back was a rather large tattoo of the pendant he always wore around his neck-the only memento he had of his birth mother. The pendant was attached to a simple black string, though the pendant itself was anything but simple. It was a circle, and within it lay two black wolf heads, one facing to the left, the other to the right, in the shape of a cross. Sapphires poked out from where the eyes were supposed to be, and an 'x' shape crossed beneath them, poking out from the edges of the circle.

Moving back to his tattoos, on the inside of his left forearm was a phoenix. On the outside of his right forearm was a black wolf's head, its eyes remarkably similar to Danny's. Finally, on his right shoulder was the word _semper_ and on his left was the word _aeternum_.

"Got them around 1975ish. Now, unless you want to see me full frontal, baby brother, I suggest you leave me to get dressed," Danny smirked at his brother who, instead of leaving, walked further into the room.

"Much as I would love to not see that, I have a favor I need to ask you."

Danny raised an eyebrow, slightly curious as to what sort of favor Stefan would ask of him. More than likely, it had to do with Elena. Everything in his brothers' lives seemed to revolve around Elena at this point, it was pretty damn annoying. It was like having a less bitchy version of Katherine around.

"Let me guess: it's something to do with Elena?" Danny surmised, grabbing his white dress shirt off his bed.

"Yeah, there's a vampire that's been stalking her lately, and we think he might show up at the dance," Stefan replied in his usual serious tone.

"Not seeing what that has to do with me so far, Stef," Danny replied, buttoning up his shirt.

"Look, I know that-for whatever reason- you're not a huge fan of Elena. The thing is, though, I know you don't like having strange vampires in your territory-which is Mystic Falls. So, you help us keep Elena safe, and the vampire will be out of Mystic Falls by the end of the night," Stefan proposed with a small smile.

"Ooh, manipulation, how very Damon of you, Stef," Danny smirked, causing Stefan to cringe at the comparison before he continued with, "You're right about the whole 'strange vampire' thing. The problem with your idea is that I'm more curious as to who sent them rather than the fact that they're here."

"What makes you so sure someone sent him?" Stefan questioned.

"Hunter's instinct, brother. So, I'll make you a counterproposal: I'll do my best to ensure that there are no casualties tonight-including Elena- in return, you capture that vampire alive so I can torture/interrogate them later. Deal?" Danny asked, holding out his hand.

Stefan paused to consider it and, knowing he wasn't going to get a better offer, took his brother's hand, saying, "Deal."

* * *

After spotting Karen's brother at the dance, Danny decided to wait a bit to avoid any awkward confrontation. He then proceeded to call Karen and inform her that he would be intentionally tardy, but not to worry. She was pretty understanding of the whole thing, stating that it would be pretty awkward dancing with an older guy in front of her big brother. As he hung up the phone, he spotted someone he hadn't seen since 1864. _Anna._

Guess he knew who sent the vampire, and why they were in town. They wanted to open the tomb too. _Should I confront Anna? Or just let her do as she wishes, regardless of the consequences? I need that tomb open, it's the only way to get Katherine back to Mystic Falls._ Danny pondered, tapping his chin as he watched Anna sneak into the building. Regardless, having an unchecked vampire in the same room as Karen and his brothers was out of the question.

His mind made up, Danny entered the building, readjusting his black tie as he did so. He had decided to forego Stefan's 'grey suit, aqua tie' idea, considering the fact that black, grey, and white were the only colors he had in his wardrobe. _Maybe I should fix that?_ Danny mused, stepping around a couple of teenagers making out just outside the gymnasium. He pushed through the double doors, his eyes searching the area for Karen before his eyes alighted on her, and he made his way over to her.

"May I have this dance, m'lady?" Danny smirked, tapping her on the shoulder as he held out his hand.

Karen whirled around, eyes wide and surprised as she replied, "I thought you were gonna be fashionably late?"

"Change of plans, sweetheart," Danny replied smoothly, pulling her closer to him as they started to dance, his eyes darting around the gymnasium in search of other vampires.

"Oh? And what, may I ask, could have possibly changed your mind, Mr. Salvatore?" Karen asked, her lips curling upwards in an amused smile.

"A number of reasons. First and foremost...my cousins are in town," Danny whispered, looking her in the eyes rather meaningfully.

"Your cousins? What do you-oh," Karen's eyes widened before she continued, "You mean there are vamp-mmph!"

She was cut off when Danny pressed his lips over hers swiftly, his eyes darting around as hers began to close. He didn't want Anna or her friends to know he was onto them-or their plans- just yet. Besides, who knew how many of them were at this dance? Danny didn't get to think too much about this as he was roughly yanked away from Karen, and felt a fist cut across his jaw swiftly. He moved his jaw irately, narrowing his eyes at the man who had hit him.

"Ric!" Karen exclaimed, alarmed at the man's actions.

"Hands off my sister, Salvatore," Ric snapped, pushing Karen behind him in a protective manner.

Danny looked at Ric, tilting his head to the side thoughtfully as he observed his posture. He was a protective brother-that much was certain- but there was more to it...he was also wary and...Danny listened to the rapid pace of his heart, suppressing a smirk as he realized the man was a little afraid. _Now, why would he be afraid of little old me? Unless..._

"How much do you know about the... 'people' in Mystic Falls, Saltzman?" Danny asked, keeping his voice as low as possible, his eyes darting around again, landing briefly upon Anna and some kid.

"Enough to know that my sister isn't safe around people like you," Ric retorted.

Danny nodded carefully in response, taking a step closer to Ric and whispering in his ear, "I'm not the only vampire in Mystic Falls, Ric. But, I am the only one with a vested interest in keeping your sister safe. As long as I'm around, they won't touch her, Ric. You have my word."

With that said, Danny stuck out his hand to the man, looking rather amused as Ric gripped it tightly, shaking it. Danny tipped his head to Karen politely and, before leaving, nodded his head at the kid Anna was talking to, asking, "By the way, who's that kid? He looks familiar."

Ric looked to where he was pointing, saying, "That's Jeremy Gilbert."

 _A Gilbert, Anna, really? Doesn't your family ever learn?_


	10. Chapter 10: The Truth Shall Set You Free

**Chapter 10: The Truth Shall Set You Free**

 _December 12, 2009_

 _He had come to know quite thoroughly the world in which he lived. His outlook was bleak and materialistic. The world as he saw it was a fierce and brutal world, a world without warmth, a world in which caresses and affection and the bright sweetness of spirit did not exist._

Danny paused at the words written on the page, the corners of his lips twitching upward slightly in amusement. Three decades ago, they had been words that he had wholeheartedly believed in - and even now, some small part of him believed them to be true.

It had been a dark time in his life - as it was for most vampires who had their humanity turned off. He didn't revel in the bloodlust like Damon, nor did he spiral out of control like Stefan. If anything, he was more cold and calculating without it on. He was well aware of every move he made - every ounce of booze he drank, every joint he had smoked, every life he had taken was done only after careful consideration on his part.

 _Then that jackass Gabriel came along and had to ruin my party of one._ Danny recalled ruefully, though not without affection.

He did not resent Gabriel for this - quite the opposite in fact. Gabriel had appeared during his darkest time - and had drug him kicking and screeching into the light. He was the one who had given him purpose and meaning in his life - at a point when he had had none. He felt he owed more to Gabriel than anyone else in his entire existence- though he would never admit it to the archangel.

Danny shook his head, giving a small smile as he reached over the back of the couch to grab his glass of bourbon. He paused with the edge of the glass touching his lips, taking a moment to revel in the silence that pervaded the library in the empty Salvatore mansion. An odd feeling of foreboding settled over him for a moment before the vampire shook it off, chalking it up to the usual apprehension he had when his brothers were out of his sight for more than ten minutes.

He had just taken a sip of his drink when he heard a soft fluttering behind him, followed by the words, "Hello, Daniel."

Danny choked on his drink, coughing as it went down the wrong pipe. He beat his chest a few times before saying in a strangled tone, "Dammit, Cas! We talked about this!"

He looked over the back of the couch to see the angel put on a chastised expression.

"My apologies, Daniel. I did not mean to frighten you," the angel said sincerely.

"Startle," Danny corrected idly, waving the angel over to sit on the couch across from him. "Don't worry about it, Cassie. Besides, you just reminded me that I need to put some warding up on this place." He took a long sip of his drink. "Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of this impromptu visit?"

The angel's eyes narrowed slightly as he straightened up, saying, "You lied to me about Adam."

"Not true," Danny responded, pointing at him lazily. "You just never bothered to ask about what state he was in. I would've told you he was mauled to death by ghouls if you had asked."

Cas grunted in response before asking, "How did you even know about Adam?"

"Kate," Danny replied simply, giving a small shrug.

"You two seem...close," Cas said, unable to come up with another word.

"We are, she's like the sister I never had - nothing more," Danny took another sip of his bourbon.

"I see..." the angel paused, staring around awkwardly. "So, uh...how've you been?"

The vampire's lips quirked upward in a small smile at the angel's awkward question. He turned, leaning over the back of the couch to pour some bourbon in another glass. Turning back, he handed it over to Cas, who took it, seeming almost grateful.

"Nothing to complain about, really," Danny shrugged. "How about you? How goes your hunt for the big G-man?"

Castiel sighed, taking a large gulp of his drink before responding, "Poorly, I have found nothing since our discussion with Raphael." He paused, seeming hesitant as he continued, "I figured that, if Raphael doesn't know, perhaps one of the other archangels might...and since I clearly can't ask Michael or Lucifer..."

"You figured you'd seek out Gabriel," Danny finished for him, watching the angel nod. "How do you plan on finding him?"

"I've, uh, heard rumors that he was spotted on Earth a few decades ago...with someone who matches your description."

"So, you want me to facilitate a meeting between you and Gabriel?" Danny confirmed, not even bothering to ask where Cas had gotten his information from as the angel nodded. "Sorry, buddy, no dice."

"Why not?" Cas asked, beginning to show signs of frustration.

"A, he would never agree to it. B, tricking him into it would betray his trust and confidence- one of the few things in this world I can't stand to lose," he responded, taking a long drink and finishing off his bourbon.

He gave a small pause at the angel's despondent expression, his heart twisting in his chest uncomfortably _. Dammit, Cassie. Do you really have to do the face?_ Danny groaned, leaning his head back against the back of the couch.

"Tell you what, Cassie, because I like you, I'll reach out to Gabriel soon and ask him about grandpa G-man. Does that sound fair enough to you?" Danny sighed.

"You would do that?" Castiel asked hopefully as the vampire nodded. "Then thank you, Daniel, I greatly appreciate your assistance in this matter."

* * *

Later that night, Danny was enjoying a peaceful, Elena-free evening in the living room of his house. Lounging on the couch, sipping bourbon out of a glass, and reading Harry Potter as the light from the fire flickered over his face. Now, he knew he should probably be helping his brothers with Elena-whom he still didn't care about- or looking for a way to stop Lucifer-who had been unnervingly quiet these past few months- but right now, he couldn't bring himself to care too much. After all the work he had been putting in lately, he deserved a bit of a break.

Taking another drink from his glass and giving a small sigh of contentment, he flipped to the next page, drinking in the chaos and drama that was unfolding on the book's pages. As he was halfway through paragraph two, he heard the door slam, eliciting a sigh from the vampire as he heard the angry yelling of Damon.

"Don't slam my door. I don't feel like having it replaced," Danny commented, flipping the page as Damon stalked into the room, fuming.

Danny raised his eyes from the book, taking in Damon's distraught face and angry posture. With another sigh, he bookmarked his page and closed it, handing his half-filled glass of bourbon to Damon. His brother took it with a small nod of appreciation, flopping down onto the couch across from him and taking a long sip from the glass.

After a moment, Damon said, "We opened the tomb."

Danny raised an eyebrow, briefly wondering why they hadn't called him to tell him, before saying, "I take it you found out Katherine wasn't in the tomb?"

Damon's eyes sharpened at his brother's choice in words, asking, "You knew? You knew Katherine wasn't in the tomb?"

"January 17, 1950. That was the last time I saw that bitch. So, of course I knew she wasn't in the tomb," Danny began.

The bourbon slipped from Damon's hand as he vamped over to Danny, grabbing him by his jacket and slamming him against the wall. Veins appeared under his eyes as he glared at his older brother, anger, hurt, and betrayal all flashing over his features as he did so. Danny felt a twinge of guilt in his gut, and a rather painful burning sensation coming from his heart. Yet, he tried to play it off, keeping a blank look on his face as he stared Damon in the eyes unflinchingly. _I think he stained my bloody carpet._

"Why didn't you tell me?" Damon growled.

"Would you have opened the tomb if you knew?" Danny responded, cocking an eyebrow at him.

Damon slammed him up against the wall again, snapping back with, "Why the hell do you want the tomb open?"

"Full disclosure? So I could lure Katherine back to Mystic Falls, torture her for a few centuries, and then kill her."

Damon looked rather taken aback at his words, his grip slacking, allowing Danny to get out of his grasp and walk back toward the couch. He began to pick up the shards of glass from the floor while Damon continued to watch him, pondering whether or not he was serious with his threat toward Katherine.

"Any particular reason why you want her dead?"

"Oh, there's a multitude of reasons, brother. Some of which involve you and Stefan, most of which involve me. None of which are your business," Danny replied rather curtly, a smirk working its way onto his lips.

"Can't you just—"

"If you're about to ask me to let her live or show mercy or some shit, my answer is 'fuck no'. I have been planning my revenge against that bitch since she fucked me over sideways in 1950. There is no fucking way I'm letting her go now, Damon," Danny replied rather harshly, cutting his brother off abruptly.

Once more, Damon was taken aback at his brother's words, as well as his harsh tone. Not once, in the long years since they had known each other, had Danny ever spoken to him that way. In a voice so full of hatred and rage-not directed towards him, but towards Katherine, the woman who didn't care that he was still alive. The woman who had abandoned him, who had broken his heart, who had tried to play his brothers against him-that was the woman that she was, the one that his brother sought to kill.

"Fine, I won't ask you to spare her, I just want one favor from you, brother," Damon responded slowly.

Danny looked up from where he had just finished picking up all the pieces of glass, raising an eyebrow warily as he asked, "What?"

"Let me talk to her first. I want to know why she abandoned me without a second thought, why she—"

Danny cut him off, walking over to him and clapping him on the shoulder as he replied, "Your voice, dear brother, will be the last pleasant thing Katherine hears before I take her away. You can have your talk with her, afterwards, the bitch is all mine."


	11. Chapter 11: My Favorite Angel(Edited)

**Chapter 11: My Favorite Angel**

 _January 15, 2010_

The month that followed the vampires' escape from the tomb was a rather uneventful one. Cas and Crowley were both radio silent, Gabriel had been phone-dodging him, there had been no potential hunts that had caught his interest, and he still had no word on Lucifer's whereabouts. That last one was mildly unnerving to the oldest Salvatore, considering the fact that Lucy-loo was trying to use him to bring back his deceased archangel son- ya know, the usual hunter bullshit. He was starting to think he shouldn't have relocated the Winchesters; they might've come in handy at this point. However, he couldn't allow Michael or Lucifer to obtain their true vessels, which would be no bueno.

Speaking of things that were 'no bueno', Damon had decided to snap Alaric's neck after provoking him the other day, something the man was none too happy about. He was lucky that he had a magic ring to protect him- one of the Gilbert rings, if Danny wasn't mistaken- from dying, otherwise things would have been awkward between him and Karen. Now, Danny had to do what he usually did-clean up his brother's mess. And so, he found himself outside of Alaric's apartment on an early Friday morning, hoping to make peace between himself and his pupil's brother.

Raising his hand, Danny knocked three times on the door before stepping back and waiting for the door to open. Hearing it unlock, Danny put on his politest smile as the door swung open to reveal Alaric, who immediately tried to slam the door in his face. Danny quickly put out a hand, keeping the door from closing in his face entirely.

"Whoa, hey, I come in peace, Ric," Danny smiled, flashing the Spock sign with his other hand.

"Why should I trust you? Your brother tried to kill me the other day, and he killed my wife," Ric retorted, trying and failing once more to close the door.

"Agreed, my brother is reckless dick and- at times- incredibly stupid, but I'm here to apologize on his behalf," Danny tipped his head in an apologetic manner, stating, "As for me, you have my word that no harm will come to your family from me."

"Again, why should I—"

"Ric, it's fine, you can trust him," came the feminine voice of Karen from inside the apartment.

As Alaric turned to respond his sister, Danny felt his lips curl into a smirk of satisfaction that she was taking his side. It slipped away quickly, replaced by a pleasant smile as the man turned back to face him. Danny waggled his fingers at him as Ric continued to stare at him suspiciously. After a few awkward moments slipped by, Ric opened the door and invited him in, watching him carefully as he strolled into the apartment. Danny took a seat in one of the armchairs, settling his left foot onto his right knee and clasping his hands together to rest on his chest. The Saltzmans took a seat on the sofa across from him, Karen's eyes flicking between the two men as though expecting one of them to erupt.

Deciding he should start, Danny said, "As a show of good faith, Ric, I will answer any question you have. So, ask away."

"How do you kill a vampire?" Ric immediately shot at him.

Danny raised an eyebrow at the man, already wishing he had a glass of bourbon in his hand as he replied, "Wow, right of the gate. Beheading, ripping out the heart, or any wooden object into the heart will kill a vampire. Most of the time, anyway."

"Most of the time? What's that supposed to mean?" Ric asked skeptically.

"Well, generally speaking, the older a vampire is, the stronger they are, and the harder they are to kill. The oldest of my kind cannot be killed by any of the ways that I've just described, nor should you have to worry about them. Next question," Danny replied smoothly, wanting to get away from the topic of the Mikaelsons.

"How are you able to walk in sunlight?"

"Magical jewelry. Next," Danny said with a wave of his hand.

"Magical—"

"Yes, magical. Vampires, witches, demons, angels, and all manner of supernatural creatures exist, Ric. Next," Danny replied rather boredly.

Ric frowned, about to ask another question, when Karen asked something she had been curious about for a while, "Have you ever killed anyone as vampire? Anyone human, that is?"

Danny frowned, hesitant to answer. Of course he had killed people, and each of those fuckers deserved it, he made damn sure of that. He had been killing rapists, murderers, pedophiles, etc. for over a century. There was, however, one person who fell into none of those categories.

"Funny you should ask that...New Orleans, June 9, 1863. Her name was Julia Walsh- or it was before she was married," Danny began, pausing for a moment before continuing, "She was the first person I fell in love with, despite the fact that she was carrying another man's child."

"You killed a pregnant woman?" Karen asked, covering her mouth in shock.

"Sorta. See, there was a serial killer roaming the town, targeting pregnant women. I was arrogant; I thought she would be safe, until I found her bleeding out in a warehouse. From there, I only had two choices: save her and let the child die, or kill her and save the child."

"Why couldn't you use your blood to heal her?" Ric asked, rather curious.

"The fetal heart rate was seconds away from flat lining, vampire blood wouldn't have helped in time. So, I did what I had to. I performed an emergency C-Section and got the baby out, killing Julia in the process."

"Oh, Danny, I'm so sorry-" Karen began, her hand twitching as though she was about to reach out to him.

"It was 150 years ago, I'm over it now," Danny replied with a wave of his hand.

"What happened to the child?" Ric asked.

"Well, I took William out of state, got him set up with his dead father's family. You might know of them, actually. Their last name was 'Saltzman'," Danny said, smirking at their shocked expressions.

"That's bullshit. There's been no mention of William Saltzman ever being - ," Ric argued, jumping to his feet.

"Compulsion is a hell of a thing, Ric. I figured things would go a lot smoother if the Saltzmans just believed William was their biological son, and I was correct," Danny replied, unfazed by Alaric's shouting.

"Why go to all that trouble for a child that wasn't yours? I mean, I get that you were in love with Julia, so why not raise William yourself?" Karen asked curiously.

"I made a promise to Julia that I would protect her descendants, and William would not have been safe in the supernatural infested cesspool that was New Orleans at the time," Danny replied, smirking slightly.

Alaric sat down, massaging the bridge of his nose as he said, "I need a drink, and time to process this-this-"

"Amalgamation of information? Hey, that rhymed," Danny supplied, a self-satisfied smile stretching out over his face.

"Yes. Mind leaving?"

"Say 'please' first," Danny replied, grinning at Ric's angry expression before raising up his hands in surrender and standing up.

He shook Ric's hand, gave a tip of his head and a small wink to Karen, and walked out the door, headed towards home.

* * *

It was as Danny was pulling into the driveway that he heard the sound of Damon screaming from the living room, prompting Danny to quickly park the car and vamp into the house. There, he spotted Anna and Pearl, the latter of whom was currently gouging out his baby brother's eyes. Danny clenched his fists, his fangs elongating and the veins appearing beneath his eyes as overwhelming rage consumed him. He vamped over to Anna, taking her by surprise and snapping her neck quickly. Pearl turned to face him, hissing angrily and tensing her body up to vamp towards him, when she was beaten to the punch by the oldest Salvatore. He vamped towards her, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her into the wall, snarling angrily at her.

She struggled for oxygen as her airways were constricted, grabbing at his hand and trying to pry his fingers off, but to no avail. Normally, this would be the point where Danny would smirk, toss out a few witty comments, maybe snap her neck, and then be on his merry way. However, he was beyond pissed at the moment, so he decided to forego all this and instead try to instill as much fear into this arrogant little bitch as he could.

"I'm older, how are you...?" Pearl managed as she still struggled for breath.

Danny ignored her question, instead releasing his hold on her throat and shoving his hand into her chest, wrapping his fingers around her still-beating heart as he snarled, "Now, I don't know what the fuck is going on here, but let me make one thing clear to you, Pearl: No one lays a hand on my brothers without suffering the consequences. Harm either them or myself in any way, and I will tear you limb from fucking limb. But, not before doing the same to your daughter first. Are we perfectly fucking clear?"

"Y-yes," Pearl choked out, genuinely afraid of the man.

"Good," Danny replied, releasing his hold on her heart and stepping back saying, "Now, kindly take your daughter's corpse and get the fuck out of my house."

Pearl took a second to catch her breath before grabbing Anna and vamping out of the house, leaving the two older Salvatores alone. Danny turned to his younger brother, his face softening as it returned to normal. He looked around, spotting an empty glass on the coffee table before grabbing it, biting his wrist and allowing the blood to flow into it.

He held it out to Damon, saying, "I know it's not human blood, but it should help with the healing a bit."

"Thanks. Guess I owe ya one," Damon groaned, letting a hand fall from one of his bloody sockets as he grabbed the glass.

Danny took a moment to inspect Pearl's handiwork; removing Damon's other hand as he did so. With a frown and a sigh, he vamped over to the kitchen, grabbing a hand towel and soaking it in water before vamping back, dabbing lightly at where Damon's eyes were supposed to be. Damon flinched away a few times, hissing in pain, but Danny persisted until all the blood was gone.

"How bad is it?" Damon asked, placing his now empty glass on the couch beside him.

"You should regain sight pretty soon, might have some light sensitivity for a bit, so I recommend tossing on some badass shades before drowning your sorrows in booze," Danny recommended, clapping his brother on the shoulder before continuing, "What did Pearl want?"

"She wanted everything on the Founder's Council, and for me to stop supplying them with vervain. She even tried to bribe me with Katherine's whereabouts, which she couldn't possibly know, right?" Damon asked, raising his head toward his brother for reassurance on this last part.

"If Pearl knew Katherine as well as she thought, her ass wouldn't have been left to rot in that tomb. Anyway, don't worry about Pearl's demands, there's not much she can do with me around. Her hands are tied," Danny responded, sitting on the edge of the coffee table, across from Damon.

"Speaking of, how the hell did you do that? How were you able to beat her?"

"The answer to that question is a rather lengthy story I'm not ready to talk about quite yet. Suffice it to say that it all leads back to Katherine," Danny replied flippantly. He then clapped his hands, rising to his feet and grabbing Damon's hands, pulling him up as he continued, "Now, let's go get that drink, shall we?"

* * *

The Salvatore brothers made their way to the bar in the Mystic Grill, sitting near an older brunette woman, who eyed them in a rather curious fashion. Damon proceeded to remove his sunglasses, handing them to Danny who was sitting to the right of him. Danny eyed his brother out of the corner of his eyes, subtly making sure he was alright.

"What's with the glasses inside?" the woman asked.

"My eyes were a little sensitive today," Damon replied, receiving a small snort of amusement from his big brother.

"You're both new around here," the woman stated.

"On the contrary, we're very old," Damon replied dryly.

"Speak for yourself. I feel like I'm 25 every damn day," Danny smirked, propping his head up with his hand.

Damon rolled his eyes before turning to the bartender, saying, "Two bourbons, neat."

"I haven't been gone that long. I would remember someone who looked like you two," the woman smiled.

Danny rolled his eyes, taking his drink from the bartender as he proceeded to try to tune out the rest of their conversation. As he was doing so, he felt a buzzing in his pants-and not the fun kind either. Removing his phone from his pocket, he saw that he was getting a call from Cas. With a small smile, he answered, walking away from the two as he did so.

"Cassie, my favorite angel. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Danny smirked, taking a seat at an empty booth in the corner.

"Where are you? We need to talk," came the gravelly voice on the other end.

"Currently in the process of getting 'white girl wasted' at the Mystic Grill," Danny replied, hanging up the phone as Cas appeared in the seat across from him. "Remember that discussion we had about giving someone a coronary, Cassie? Seriously, not cool."

"What does being a female with pale skin have to do with drinking?" Castiel replied curiously, tilting his head to the side like an adorable puppy.

"It's a term used to describe getting super trashed." Castiel furrowed his brow, still confused. "Hammered." Still, more confusion. "Inebriated."

"Ah. That's not why I'm here though, Daniel. I need to discuss something important with you," Castiel replied in his serious voice.

Sounds ominous. Danny thought before gesturing to a waitress for two more glasses of bourbon. He then turned back to Cas, saying, "Way to skip out on the foreplay, Cassie."

Cas frowned, confusion and mild alarm in his expression as he said, "I didn't come here to engage in sexual intercourse, Daniel. I apologize if I mislead you."

At that moment, the waitress had returned with their drinks, eyeing them with a small smile on her face as she said, "Personally, I think you two make a great couple."

As she walked away, Danny busted out laughing, while Castiel watched her leave, his expression of alarm growing. Danny struggled to stifle his laughter, remembering that they were in a public place, but felt like his ribs were about to crack from the pressure. He managed to bring it down to a wide smile after a few minutes; Cas's expression was stony and a little bit upset.

Danny rolled his eyes, taking a sip of his bourbon as he replied, "Relax, Cassie, we're not having intercourse. Admittedly, you're a very attractive angel, but I've got way too much drama in my life to drag yours in too. Maybe another time? Anyway, what did you want to talk about?"

"First off, I wanted to know if you have heard back from Gabriel," the angel responded.

"Sorry, Buddy, no dice. Gabe's been dodging my calls," Danny answered, taking a sip of his drink. "Not surprising, Gabriel's never been the type to want to overly involve himself in heaven's business. I'll keep trying, though. Anything else I can help you with?"

"I need you to bring back Sam and Dean," Cas replied, prompting Danny to choke on his drink.

"Not that I wouldn't be thrilled to see them, but why? We sent them away for a reason, Cas. To protect them from Michael and Lucifer while we stop the apocalypse," Danny finally said after regaining his composure.

"Yes, and that's been going so well for us, hasn't it?" Cas shot back, narrowing his eyes.

"Points for sassiness, Cassie. But, I concede your point. Besides, having the boys back in town will take some pressure off of me," Danny responded taking out his phone and dialing Dean's number.

"Danny? What's up?" came Dean's voice from the other line.

"Deano, what's up, man? Hey, I was just curious, where are you right now? Like, exact location?" Danny asked rather nonchalantly.

"Uh...why?"

"Because, I need to undo some compulsion I put on you and Sammy," Danny replied mildly, holding the phone away from him a bit to avoid the potential yelling.

"You did what?! You son of a bitch, you compelled us?!"

"Yes, I believe I just said that. Now, if you want me to undo it, tell me where you are right the fuck now," Danny responded shortly, having expected this sort of reaction.

There was a pause, then, "George Street Diner, Toronto. Why do you-?"

Danny hung up, placing his phone back in his pocket before drinking down the rest of his bourbon. After finishing the glass, he moved to the next one, suppressing a smirk as Castiel continued to stare at him expectantly, his gaze focused and serious as Danny continued to drink from the glass.

"Where did they say they were?" Castiel practically demanded.

Danny gave a small roll of his eyes before responding with, "George Street Diner, Toronto. Give them my regards, would you?"

His brows knitting in confusion, the angel asked, "What do you mean? You're coming with me to undo the compulsion."

"Not necessary. Being an angel, you should be able to do it yourself, Cassie. Besides, not entirely sure the boys want me around right now," Danny replied curtly, taking a long drink of his glass before leaning back in his seat.

Castiel narrowed his eyes at him before angeling away in a flutter of wings, leaving the man to drink alone. With a small sigh, Danny finished off the remainder of his drink before calling the nice waitress over for another. He passed much of his evening in this manner, now and again glancing at Damon or Stefan-who had just walked in with Elena and some of her friends. However, he didn't fail to notice the tomb vampires that had entered his domain, and then quickly left after Elena had found them out. Danny gave a half-smirk at this, torn between irritation and amusement at their presence in his bar. They were getting a little too bold, despite what had happened to Pearl and Anna this morning. Perhaps he should send a stronger message? _A nice, fresh corpse oughta do the trick._

* * *

It was as he was about to walk through the front door of the house that he heard it: the shattering of glass. _Son of a bitch. They better not have broken a window._ Danny groaned, stomping his feet and pouting like a small child. It was as he heard the sounds of scuffling that he realized that his brothers were not alone. Feeling his fangs elongate and his veins appear for the second time that day, Danny vamped into the house, charging toward the woman standing over his youngest brother. He sank his fangs deep into her neck, draining her of her blood as she screamed in pain, struggling to push him off. Unrelenting, Danny continued to burrow deeper, eventually cutting clean through her neck. He released her body, catching her head before it could fall to the floor. The room was silent as the oldest Salvatore sauntered toward the remaining tomb vampire, tossing him the woman's head.

"Tell Pearl that's strike two. Anymore unpleasantness, and I come for every last one of you. Now, get the fuck out of my house," Danny snarled, barely amused as the vampire immediately left.

Stefan was the first to break the long awkward silence that followed, saying, "I remember them from 1864, they were in the tomb."

Damon's mouth set in a straight line, his face scrunching up slightly as he said, "Yeah, about that..."

"Did they really need to bust through the window? There was a perfectly good door right there," Danny pouted, gesturing at the aforementioned door while his brothers stared at him in disbelief.


	12. Chapter 12: Vampires Never Learn(Edited)

**Chapter 12: Vampires Never Learn**

 _January 16, 2010_

After burning the vampire's headless corpse that night, Danny found himself in his bed around midnight, a bit exhausted after the day's events. Telling life stories, threatening vampires, talking with an angel, and killing a vampire took a lot out of him. _Maybe I should take up hunting again? I'm getting a little out of shape. Maybe a run? Some yoga? Eh, I'll figure it out tomorrow._ The vampire sighed, feeling his eyes beginning to flutter shut. He was about to board the train to sleepy time junction, when he heard the annoying buzzing of his phone on the nightstand next to his head. With a groan of irritation, he reached around blindly for his phone, lifting his head up from where he was trying to smother himself with a pillow. He squinted at the message onscreen, a tiny frown working its way onto his face.

 **Hey, can we talk?** Came Karen's text.

With a light groan, he responded with, **I've had a long day killing and threatening people. Maybe tomorrow? Same time, same place?**

There was a pause before she responded, **I'm not sure I even want to know. See you tomorrow.**

With another groan, Danny shut off his phone before plastering his face into his pillow. He gave a small sigh before eventually drifting off, hoping his dreams would be more peaceful than they had been these past 60 years.

* * *

Danny was starting to get real tired of sleeping. His dreams had been far from pleasant that night, prompting him to awaken with a groan at six in the morning. Visions of his past - memories, if you will- were appearing more often than not lately. It was starting to become irksome. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance before checking his phone. He was mildly amused at the large amount of missed calls and texts from the Winchesters, most of them containing threats from Dean. _Humans are funny._ He thought with a small chuckle, rising from his bed and stretching out his muscles.

He took a moment to reflect on the events of the previous day, and his resolve to get back in the game. Despite the fact that he was a vampire, and thus required no exercise to keep his body in shape, he could feel the laziness he had been exhibiting the past few months taking its toll on him. With that thought to keep him going, he grabbed his only pair of basketball shorts from inside his dresser, along with a sleeveless black top. Changing into it, he grabbed some headphones, plugging them into his phone before plugging them in his ears. He walked out of his room, stopping only to put on a pair of black sneakers, before walking through the hall, down the stairs, and out the door.

Hitting the shuffle option on his phone, he smirked as _Eye of the Tiger_ by Survivor began to play, a good song to start his exercise with. With that, he took off at a brisk jog, focusing on the music instead of whatever disaster was most likely heading their way today. Because, let's face it, there had rarely been a dull moment since he had returned to Mystic Falls. Scratch that, shit had been going sideways ever since the first time he met the Winchesters.

It wasn't that he blamed Sam and Dean for all the bad things that had happened-setting Lucifer free, losing the Colt, opening a gate to hell- quite the contrary, actually. He actually felt kind of bad for them. They didn't ask for the hunter's life, they didn't ask to be the vessels for Michael and Lucifer, but they took it all in stride, like true soldiers. That, more than anything, had earned Danny's respect-as well as restored some of his faith in humanity. It was because of this respect that Danny had saw fit to compel them away-they deserved a break, after all. Granted, he probably should have asked their permission first, but he and Castiel both agreed it was for the best that the boys stay out of the way, at least until Danny found a way to kill Lucifer. Now that it was obvious that that plan wasn't going to work out, it had turned into an 'all hands on deck' situation.

Speaking of the devil, Danny had become rather honed in on Lucifer's whereabouts. Not exact locations, mind you, but he always had a vague sense of whatever direction he was in. He supposed that it might have to do with Lucifer coming in contact with soul/Grace, or perhaps the fact that he had drank his blood had something to do with it? He wasn't sure, and he didn't think he wanted to find out. He had a bad feeling that it had something to do with Alistair, another archangel he wanted nothing to do with. Sure, he was Alistair's descendant/reincarnation, but that didn't mean he wanted to be- as Dean had eloquently phrased it before- an angel condom for the guy. Hell, he didn't want anything to do with angels in general-except, perhaps, Castiel. But, he was stuck with them until Lucifer was gone, so he would have to make the most of it.

Lost in his thoughts, Danny hadn't noticed that he had arrived back at the house until he almost slammed face-first into the door. He managed to stop himself a few inches away, placing his hands out in front of him on the door as he did so. It was then that he noticed that his hands were wet, as was the rest of his body. He frowned, glancing around before noticing the heavy downpour for the first time. With a small shrug, he entered the house, taking his earbuds out as he did so. He was greeted by the voice of Damon, though the man was not speaking to him, but rather to Stefan and Elena-who apparently felt right at home in his house.

"I say we go to Pearl's, bust down the door, and annihilate the idiot that attacked us last night," Damon gave a small smirk, fiddling with the hammer in his hands.

"Yeah. And then what? We turn to the rest of the house of vampires and say, 'oops, sorry?" Stefan replied, arms folded over his chest.

"Well, you don't have to apologize if they're all dead," Danny said, announcing his presence as he strode into the room.

"Right, because marching into a house of vampires that outnumber us is clearly the best way to go, Danny," Stefan replied in a sarcastic tone, raising an eyebrow at his oldest brother.

"Never stopped me before," the man replied, going over to where the bourbon was and grabbing himself a glass. He took a decent sip before waving a hand at them all, saying, "Please, continue. Pretend I'm not here."

Elena was the first to speak, turning to Damon and saying in an accusing tone, "I can't believe you made a deal with her."

"It was more like a helpful exchange of information. And it's not like I had a choice. She's...scary. Besides, she's gonna help me get Katherine back," Damon replied, walking closer to Stefan and Elena, gesturing with his hammer as he spoke.

Elena scoffed, snarkily responding with, "Of course she is. Damon gets what he wants, as usual. No matter who he hurts in the process."

"You don't have to be snarky about it."

"I woke up this morning to learn that all the vampires have been released from the tomb. I've earned snarky," Elena said indignantly.

"How long are you going to blame me for turning your birth mother into a vampire?" Damon asked, settling himself on the couch.

"I'm not blaming you, Damon. I've accepted the fact that you're a self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities."

"Ouch," was the only response Damon could come up with.

Rolling his eyes, Danny set down his glass and said, "Oh, would you two get a room and fuck already? Preferably not in my house."

Stefan and Elena looked at him, shocked and slightly appalled at his words. It was Damon's expression, however, that amused Danny the most. His face was thoughtful, his brow furrowed and his lips pursed, as though he were seriously considering it.

"Anyway, you knew from the very beginning that Damon was trying to get Katherine back. Don't throw a bitch fit and degrade my brother just because you're PMSing, Elena," Danny continued, picking up his glass once more and taking a sip.

"So, you're okay with him finding Katherine? I would've thought you'd be on our side, considering how much you said you hate her," Elena replied after a moment, her tone somewhat challenging at the end.

Danny narrowed his eyes slightly, setting his glass down and stepping towards her. Stefan, sensing danger, walked in between his brother and Elena, placing a hand on Danny's chest. Danny's eyes flickered from his hand to his face, his icy stare softening slightly as his irritation lessened somewhat. Danny took a step back, raising his hands in surrender. He then walked around Stefan, headed toward the stairs.

Pausing before ascending, he said, "Damon won't need to seek out Katherine. That bitch will come here, before long. When she does, prepare your farewells, because it'll be the last time you ever see her."

* * *

Once more, Danny found himself standing outside of the Saltzmans' apartment, knocking on the door. Given the torrential downpour that was occurring outside at the moment, Danny and Karen had both agreed to meet up at her place while her brother was out. Doing what, Danny wasn't sure, nor did he really care, to be quite honest. It took about a minute before the door unlocked and opened, revealing Karen, who stepped to the side without a word to allow him inside.

Danny raised an eyebrow at this, his lips pursing before his brow furrowed in thought. He was unused to this sort of greeting from her. Normally, there would be some sort of sassy comment or insult.

"So...your ominous text said you wanted to talk," Danny stated simply, occupying the armchair he had been in the previous day.

"Yeah..." Karen replied hesitantly, taking her seat on the sofa across from him.

There were a few minutes of silence between the two, Karen's nervousness making her fidget with her fingers as she avoided his icy gaze. Danny raised an eyebrow at this, torn between curiosity, amusement, and impatience. Once upon a time, Danny had been one of the most patient people out there-he had to be, given who his brothers were. Now, however, he loathed waiting for anything-unless it was his revenge on Katherine. The more he waited for her, the stronger his anger and hate became, and the sweeter his vengeance would taste.

"Why did you kiss me at the dance?" Karen suddenly blurted out, having finally gathered up her courage to ask him.

"Huh?" came Danny's intelligent response as he turned his gaze away from the window to look at her.

"I-uh..." she paused to take a deep breath before continuing, "The fifties dance...we were talking and you, well, you kissed me. Why?"

Danny looked at her for a moment, taking on a thoughtful expression before leaning back in his chair as he replied with, "There were vampires about, it was the quickest and easiest way to get you to stop blabbing."

Karen took a moment to look disappointed at this before asking, "So...that's it? It didn't mean anything?"

"Not a damn thing," Danny replied, pausing for a moment before deciding he should be honest with her. "Look, Karen, you're a nice girl - in another life, we might've had a shot at making a go of...whatever it is that you want. However, as it stands, you'd be better off finding someone else."

"Why? I mean, what's stopping you? Are you just not into me?" Karen asked, curiosity pushing her to ask.

"...I don't want to fall in love," he replied after a moment of silence. "And you're the kind of girl who wants it all - love, a family - both things I can't give you. Now, if you just want a good time - I'm here for ya. Anything beyond that - find yourself another guy, sweetheart, cuz I ain't it."

Karen stared at him for a moment before standing up. She walked over to him and planted herself firmly in his lap, using a hand to brush away some of the messy black locks that were on his forehead. She moved the hand down, caressing his cheek and moving down to his strong jawline, her thumb softly stroking the stubble that grew there. Danny's breathing slowed slightly, his eyes half-lidded as he a gave a small sigh of contentment.

"What are you doing?" He whispered softly.

"Proving that I'm not the woman you think I am. Now, shut up and kiss me," she teased in a soft voice.

"As you wish, love," Danny replied, his tone just as soft.

Karen gave a small smile before tilting his head up slightly to kiss him on the lips. The man gave a small moan of pleasure, moving his lips against hers in a well-practiced motion. His hands found their way to her waist, pulling her closer to him as her hands found their way to his hair, running themselves through the messy waves. He placed his hands under her thighs as he stood up, walking over to her room and kicking the door closed behind him.

* * *

Danny and Karen laid breathless and naked beneath the sheets, unsure of what to say. It was fun but...Danny knew it could never happen again. He was preparing himself to say as much when he heard it: a vibration coming from his discarded pants on the floor.

Leaning over the side of the bed, he took out his phone, not even bothering to look at the caller ID as he answered with an irritable, "What?"

"Danny-"

"Elena? How the bloody hell did you get this number?" Danny responded sharply while Karen looked at him in surprise.

"Stefan gave it to me, in case of emergencies-"

"I'm hanging up now-" Danny replied in a sing-song voice, about to hit the 'end call' button.

"Stefan's in trouble!"

Danny paused, digesting this information before swinging his legs off the side of the bed and beginning to gather his clothes as he asked, "Pardonne? What do you mean?"

"The tomb vampires took him while he was out hunting. Damon and Mr. Saltzman are at their house with me, they just left to head inside-"

"What?! Those undead dickbags kidnapped my baby brother?! Stay where you are, I'm coming for them," Danny responded, his tone turning cold and murderous at the very end.

He began tossing on his clothes, and was preparing to walk out the door when Karen grabbed his elbow, saying, "Let me come with you, I can help-"

"No."

"But, I'm a witch, I could be really useful," Karen argued hotly.

"No, you're a Siphoner-the last one on this Earth. I won't let you go into this and get yourself killed, Karen," Danny snapped back, yanking his arm from her grip. He paused, his eyes softening as he quietly said, "I refuse to let someone I care about die. Not again."

Karen stared at him, stunned at his words. Seeing that they were done arguing, he whipped around and vamped out the door.

* * *

Danny didn't stop moving until he reached Damon's car, parked not too far from where the tomb vampires were holed up. His eyes roved over it quickly, confirming no one was inside before he trudged around it, his hands balled into fists at his sides, his face every bit the vampiric monster he claimed himself to be. He didn't care about the rain, didn't care that his favorite leather jacket and boots were getting soaked, all he cared about was finding his brother and making those undead bastards into re-dead bastards. He wasn't entirely sure if that was an actual word, but he didn't- you get the point.

It was as he was walking that he heard voices, prompting him to pause and focus in on them, trying to make them out over the rain. His eyes brightened as he heard Elena and-more importantly- Stefan. He vamped towards them swiftly, prompting the two of them to turn around defensively. Elena had moved to stab him with a syringe, but was stopped when Danny grabbed her wrist and pushed her aside easily, deciding she wasn't worth his time at the moment. He walked over to Stefan, grabbing him by the shoulders and looking him over critically before hugging him swiftly.

"Thank whoever that you're alive, Stef. You had me worried," Danny pulled back slightly, relief spreading over his face.

"Thank Damon, Elena, and Alaric. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them," Stefan replied weakly.

Danny frowned at this, barely pausing to glance at Elena as he asked, "Where are they?"

"Back at the house, keeping the vampires busy."

"Alright. Elena, you get Stefan back to the car no matter what. I don't care how many vampires you have to go through-just do it. I'm going to save Damon and Ric," Danny replied, squeezing Stefan's shoulder before putting on his 'monster face' and vamping away.

Danny managed to make it to the house in time to keep Ric from getting his head ripped off by a vampire- by doing a little head ripping himself of course. He then went to each vampire in the hallway, ripping out their hearts or beheading them. Sometimes both, much as he had done to Lucifer. When he was done, the walls and floor were splattered with blood, as was he. He could still hear other vampires around the house, but he wasn't too concerned with them, at the moment.

He turned to Ric and Damon, his face still vamped out as he nodded to them, asking, "You guys okay?"

"You just...tore them apart," Ric managed to say after a moment.

"Like an angry blender," Danny agreed, his face relaxing.

"Well, uh...thanks, I guess," Ric replied, watching Damon nudge a corpse with his foot out of the corner of his eye.

"No one messes with my family and lives. Pearl is done for," Danny replied, a murderous glint in his eye.

"Pearl had nothing to do with it, it was Fredrick," Damon informed him, walking closer to his brother.

Danny stared at him blankly, saying, "You act like that name means anything to me."

"You gave him his girlfriend's severed head and threatened him?"

"Uh...can you be a little more specific? I do that sort of thing often," Danny snickered at the appalled look on Alaric's face.

"It was last night," Damon replied, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Oh. Right. Well, I suppose I shall let Pearl live-for the time being. Freddie is dead, though."

"Fredrick's gone, he already left," Damon said irritably.

"Bollocks."

"Let's get out of here," Alaric suggested, the other two nodding in agreement.

As they were walking towards the front door, they noticed a bunch of vampires appearing from the woods, surrounding them on all sides. Danny felt some excitement ripple through him-it had been awhile since he had been in a halfway decent fight, after all.

"How many of those vervain darts do you have left?" Damon asked.

"One."

"Not gonna be enough."

"You kids and your toys. You don't need vervain darts to kill vampires-not when you have me," Danny smirked, stepping forward and cracking his knuckles as he popped his neck.

Damon and Alaric looked at each other before slowly backing away further into the house, Damon saying, "Well, guess we'll stay out of your way then."

With that, the door closed, and the vampires were left alone with Danny.

* * *

Hours had passed since Danny had been left alone with the vampires. Was it hours or minutes? I should probably invest in a watch. He mused as he sat on a log, practicing his juggling. Regardless, time had passed since he had either killed or driven off the vampires, as well as sent Damon and Alaric home. He had decided to wait for Pearl to return home, juggling hearts as he waited. He had managed to master juggling two, and had moved onto three, when the aforementioned vampire appeared in the forest, Anna following close behind.

"What is the meaning of this?" Pearl demanded, trying to sound threatening as she looked around at all the desiccated corpses of her comrades.

"Well, they kidnapped Stefan and tried to kill both of my brothers. So, I used their insides to repaint the interior of the house and fertilize the soil. You're welcome," Danny replied nonchalantly, tossing the hearts he was holding onto the pile next to his feet.

"I had nothing to do with that," Pearl replied instantly, pulling Anna behind her.

Danny rolled his eyes, rising to his feet as he said, "That's what Damon said. I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt-this time. If you or your friends step out of line again, the consequences will be...unpleasant."

"Understood. This won't happen again," she paused before continuing with, "How many are still alive?"

"Well, I killed...one, two, three- a lot. Some escaped though. I reckon they'll return shortly," Danny responded, annoyance crossing his features briefly at the thought of having to do even the simplest of math.

"I see..."

There was an awkward pause between the three before Danny vamped away, leaving the girls to clean up the mess. It didn't take him much time at all to reach his house, wiping his muddy shoes on the stoop before entering the house. As he was walking into the house, Damon came towards him, handing him a glass of bourbon.

"Stefan's blood bingeing," Damon remarked.

"Lovely. Any other problems I should know about?" Danny asked irritably, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"I'm sure there's a list somewhere," Damon smirked in response.


	13. Chapter 13: Too Many Gilberts(Edited)

**Chapter 13: Too Many Gilberts**

 _January 29, 2010_

Two weeks had passed since Danny had slaughtered most of the tomb vampires. Luckily, they seemed to have learned that the Salvatores were not a family to be trifled with- unless they wanted their insides on their outsides. Danny was simultaneously relieved and frustrated at this. His relief stemmed from the fact that his brothers were now safe, his frustration was more so directed toward the fact that he hadn't had any action since then. Sure, he had had various offers from the Winchesters and other hunters, but he couldn't accept them. He could feel that his plan would be nearing its end, soon Katherine would be back in Mystic Falls, and he didn't want to miss it.

Besides, even if that were not the case, he couldn't leave Stefan to deal with his detox with no one but Damon for company. Much as he loved both of his brothers dearly, he could always sense the animosity and distaste they felt towards one another, which he blamed Katherine for, naturally. It was because of this that Danny didn't trust Damon to not taunt and goad Stefan into drinking human blood. Normally, Danny would be on the side of the middle Salvatore, but with Katherine practically in his grasp, he couldn't afford to split his attention toward stopping his youngest brother from becoming a ripper again.

Speaking of his brothers, he could hear the loud music from Stefan's room practically leaking through the walls of the house, prompting Danny to shove his face further into his warm pillow. A few minutes passed before the music stopped and he could hear the voices of his brothers, which he forced himself not to listen to. He distantly heard the doorbell ring, causing him to pull the covers over his head. _Fourteen days in a row. Can't you give it a rest already?_ He heard the front door open, Damon responding to whoever was there before it closed and there was silence once more. It didn't last long, however, as he heard the door to his room open and felt the bed sink on the left side.

"Unless you're a hot blonde or Castiel, get off my bed," Danny grumbled into his pillow.

"Who's Castiel?" came Damon's amused voice.

"Angel of the Lord."

"No, seriously, who is that?" Damon asked after a small chuckle.

Danny turned his head to face his brother before responding with, "He's an angel of the lord. A really hot angel of the lord."

"You're joking."

"Nope. Satan is also a thing. He wants my body," Danny replied with a shrug, sitting up.

"...Are you gay?"

"That's all you got from that? I just told you the fucking Devil exists, and you ask me about my sexual orientation?" Danny smirked in amusement.

"I didn't hear a 'no'," Damon snickered.

There was a pause, then "Is there something you wanted?"

"Oh yeah, there's a family council thing today. You coming?" Damon responded, letting the previous subject drop for the time being.

Danny took a moment to consider this. Previously, he had let Damon handle everything at the council meetings- he just couldn't be bothered to attend them himself. Having to associate with humans he didn't care for was a little too boring and tedious in his opinion. Besides, Damon usually kept him up to speed on what was going on-eliminating the need for him to be there at all. However, given the large amount of boredom that was currently consuming him lately, perhaps he should consider attending this time. _Plus, I should probably be there in case the tomb vampires get brought up- or the theft of any blood bags Stefan might've taken._

"Fine, I've got nothing better to do anyway," Danny finally replied, beginning to rise from the bed.

"You could always do your girlfriend. You know, the one that's been at the door everyday for the past two weeks?" Damon smirked, also rising.

"First off, she's not my girlfriend. Secondly, is there a point you're planning on making, Damon? If so, please get to it," Danny grumbled, rifling through his dresser for a pair of black jeans.

"I'm just saying, you're insane if-"

"Already established that. Continue," Danny interjected, pulling on his pants.

"You're avoiding a really hot girl for no damn reason. Either pull the ripcord, or-"

"I told her that I care about her, Damon," Danny interrupted him.

"So, what?" Damon replied with a frown. "It's not like you have feelings for her. You don't have feelings for her, right?"

"I don't know. I mean, I like her - and she's a nice girl and everything but...I can't fall in love, Damon. I just can't. I've been down that road before, and all it lead to was just pain and agony and..." Danny paused, his face betraying his frustration at himself as he turned to his brother. "I always wanted to be a father. Being in a relationship with someone just reminds me of something I know I'll never have."

Damon stared at him for a moment, his brow furrowed and his lips puckered slightly in thought. If Stefan had come to him with this issue, there would have been some taunting, some half-assed advice, and maybe some yelling. With Danny, however, Damon couldn't bring himself to be so cavalier about his problem. This was the man who had practically raised him, who had made him the man he was before he had met Katherine. This was the man who had found him after he had escaped Whitmore, who had dragged his ass to a beach house, made him vampire-face pancakes, and helped him regain some of his humanity. This was the one person he didn't want to disappoint, and the one man who finally needed his help.

"Danny, you have to tell her that. Bottling it all up-leaving her in the dark- and stringing her along will just hurt you both. You have to talk to her about this," Damon replied, walking around the bed to clap him on the shoulder.

Danny looked at him thoughtfully for a second before replying with, "Well, I always did fancy myself a Gryffindor."

Damon gave him a confused look before catching on and giving a small chuckle.

* * *

The oldest Salvatore brothers made their way up the driveway toward the Lockwood estate. Both were dressed similarly in black clothes and leather jackets, with the exception that Danny was wearing sunglasses to complete his ensemble of badassery. As they got closer to the house, he slowed, removing his shades and sticking them in an inside pocket of his jacket. He raised an eyebrow, his icy blue eyes narrowing slightly as they roved over the mansion.

"Well, I haven't really had the chance to talk to them, but I can already tell that the Lockwoods are a bunch of rich assholes," Danny observed.

"Well, we've already established that you're an asshole, but aren't you rich?" Damon smirked.

"Yeah, but I don't flaunt my wealth like this pack of douchecanoes do. Does. Whatever," Danny replied flippantly, resuming his climb up toward the mansion.

Damon gave a snicker before following after him, the pair of them nodding to the security guard out front before making their way inside. They made their way to a small group of people who were surrounding the sheriff, listening to her report. Danny didn't bother to pay attention when he realized she was talking about that vampire chick his brothers had turned and killed in October. Instead, his eyes roved around the house, taking in the fancy décor. His attention was brought back, however, when Damon nudged him and nodded to where Sheriff Forbes was finishing up her speech, and another man took her place.

"I'm guessing that's the Alpha of this little group," Danny whispered to him, suppressing a laugh at his own little joke.

Damon nodded in response, apparently not understanding his joke, yet smirking as the Mayor said, "-And, onto a more pressing issue: John Gilbert has asked to say a few words. Welcome back, John. It's good to see you."

Damon's face fell as a light haired man with blue eyes stepped out into the room, crossing over to shake hands with the Mayor as he said, "Thank you, Mayor."

John turned around to face them, hands in his pocket as he continued, "Hello, everyone, it's wonderful to see you. I wish it were under better circumstances. As a Founding Family member-" Danny took a moment to roll his eyes at this as John continued, "I feel it is my duty to report some very distressing news-"

Damon leaned over to ask the Sheriff, "He's a Gilbert?"

"Elena's uncle. His name is John, but I call him jackass," Forbes responded, her voice low.

 _Guess I will too._ Danny snickered to himself before adding into the conversation, "He seems like a skittish little ponce."

"A blood bank in the neighboring county of Amherst has reported several break-ins over the past two weeks. Seven hunters, four campers, and two state employees have been reported missing as well. All of this within a seventy-five-mile radius of Mystic Falls," John continued on, oblivious to the side conversation.

"Okay, okay, no need to get alarmed right at this moment," the Mayor began, walking up to John.

"You're right there's no guarantee it's a supernatural occurrence. Could just be your run of the mill serial killer. You don't need to be a vampire to kill people. There's tons of depraved sociopaths out there that will do you in," Danny smirked, bringing the attention onto himself as he strode into the center of the room.

"And you are?" John asked, stepping closer to him.

Danny looked down at him, raising an unimpressed eyebrow, the smirk never leaving his face as he deadpanned, "An asshole, apparently. Oh, you meant my name. Name's Danny."

"Right, 'Danny', care to explain the break-ins then?" John challenged.

"There are several black market trades for blood as well as numerous hunters who use it as bait. Plus, there's those freaky people who believe they're vampires and enjoy the taste of blood. Pick any of those reasons or come up with one of your own before automatically falling back to the traditional 'it's vampires' cop-out that you people seem to have an unnatural fixation towards, Johnny-boy," Danny replied in his flippant manner, a challenging glint in his eye.

"Okay, okay, I think that's quite enough, Mr. Salvatore," the Mayor said, placing a hand on Danny's chest, not seeing the icy glare he was getting in return.

Danny schooled his features, knowing he should probably back down and not draw attention to himself anymore than he already had. However, it was not in his nature to surrender to anyone, let alone some human who thought his fancy title protected him from any harm. Danny felt himself being pulled back by two sets of hands- Damon and the Sheriff. He cast one last icy glare at the Mayor before shrugging them both off.

"You think all of your problems are over. But, I'm here to tell you, nothings been solved," John said, looking around at them all.

"I'm sure my size 11 up your ass will solve all our problems," Danny mumbled, getting an elbow to the ribs and a smile from his brother and a half-amused look from the Sheriff.

* * *

 _January 30, 2010_

Danny was sitting in what he had dubbed 'his chair'-though he referred to it more as his throne- a book in his lap and a cup of tea on his left side. He took a sip of his tea, enjoying the bitter flavor of the leaves mixing nicely with the rich flavor of bourbon. Had the angels not been spectacularly underwhelming, he would've sworn this was what heaven tasted like. Meanwhile, in the background, he could hear Stefan removing books before slamming them back down.

"Hey, be nice to the books. They did nothing wrong," Danny lightly scolded, turning a page.

Stefan went around over to where the liquor was, glaring at him as he snapped, "Right, because the books are the important thing right now."

Danny raised an eyebrow, glancing up from his book briefly as he said, "I'm sensing some hostility here. Care to share with rest of the class what's got your knickers in a twist today, Stefan?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Let me guess: every molecule of your entire being feels like it's about to explode. You feel hungry, angry- hell, even a little scared. You feel like you have no control over yourself- you're powerless. Your body feels like it's in constant pain, and the one thing that can stop it all, the one thing you crave, is something you know you can't have," Danny responded, taking another sip of his drink.

Stefan looked up at him, curious as he began to ask, "How do you-?"

"I went through a detox in September last year. Very messy business, I'd rather not talk about it. Try drinking, it'll take the edge off," Danny advised, turning a page in his book.

Stefan looked at him before doing as he suggested, hesitating throughout his endeavor to pour his drink and consume it.

"Cheers, mate," Danny remarked, not looking up from his page as he raised his glass before taking a swig of it.

* * *

Later that night, Danny found himself in a suit at the Lockwood mansion, a glass of fancy champagne in his hand, staring at the sign that said **'FOUNDERS' DAY 150 YEAR ANNIVERSARY KICK-OFF'**. Danny raised his glass to the board, saying to himself, "Here's to 150 years of bullshit, lies, and dicketry." He took a long drink from his glass, draining it before going to get another. As he was getting a glass of bourbon, he felt a presence behind him.

"You've been avoiding me," remarked a female voice behind him.

"What tipped you off? The hundreds of unheard voicemails clogging up my box, or the litany of unanswered texts," Danny smirked into his glass.

"I think it was all the excuses that Damon gave. I did enjoy the last one, though. Didn't know you had a cat, though I should probably call PETA after what he said you do to it."

"Well, my curiosity is now officially piqued, Ms. Saltzman," Danny replied, turning around to look at her before continuing, "What did I do to my cat that I will never have?"

The blonde before him wore a modest green dress and white heels that she was obviously uncomfortable with wearing. Her arms were folded over her chest, her expression simultaneously unimpressed and irritated. Her expression changed into one of surprise as the classical music changed to whatever modern day bullshit they were playing now. Danny took this moment to take a swig from his glass, draining it completely before grabbing her hand and gently leading her outside where it was quieter. When they had found a spot where no one was, he turned to her, his face spasming as it rapidly flickered through a variety of emotions.

"Look, I don't do the whole 'apologizing' thing. But, I will agree that I probably could have handled the whole thing in a more mature fashion than I did," Danny finally settled upon.

Karen scoffed. "By 'whole thing', did you mean having sex with me and then never talking to me – because that was really classy. When I didn't hear back from you, I thought something bad had happened to you. I had to hear the news from Elena Gilbert- who is actually quite nice, despite what you may say."

Danny rolled his eyes, saying, "I feel like I can never have a conversation with people without it revolving around a problem or Elena. Normally, they're the same thing."

"Okay, let's continue that trend, shall we? Why have you been avoiding me? What's your problem?"

"There's a long list. At the moment, I'm currently coming to terms with the fact that I'm either destined to spend an eternity alone and childless or if I should give up and let whatever feelings I may or may not have for you blossom into whatever it is that they want to turn into. Not sure which, at the moment. Still trying to process them," Danny replied with a small shrug, taking a step closer and reaching out a hand to gently stroke the side of her face.

"And what conclusion have you come to?" Karen whispered, her eyes half-closing as she leaned into his hand.

"Still processing," Danny replied before leaning down to capture her lips with his own.

* * *

"You're in a good mood."

"So are you. Care to share, baby bro?" Danny smirked, clinking his glass against Damon's.

"Well, I just killed John Gilbert. Your turn," Damon smiled, taking a sip of his drink.

"Damn, beat me to it. Well, Karen and I reconciled and agreed that we'd proceed with a 'no strings attached' arrangement until I figure things out. Guess this party's looking up."

"Better hope Ric doesn't hear about how much you 'reconciled' with his sister," Damon snickered into his glass.

"Oh Lucifer. I forgot that there is one responsible parent-esque figure in this town," Danny chuckled with a roll of his eyes.

Damon was about to respond when Danny held up a finger, focusing on the sounds he heard outside. From what he could gather, it was a couple of teenage boys in a fistfight. Not his problem, until he heard Alaric's voice with them. Telling Damon he'd be back, he jogged toward the source of the noise. Spotting the Mayor escorting who Danny presumed was his son away, Danny walked up to Alaric, raising an eyebrow in silent questioning.

"Tyler and Matt got into a fight," Ric explained.

"I love how you people automatically assume that I know everybody's names," Danny remarked drily.

"Tyler Lockwood and Matt Donovan," Ric gestured to the kid on the floor. "Tyler was like an animal, he was choking Matt- there's something wrong with him."

Danny flicked his gaze up to the night sky, eyeing the full moon as he replied, "The Lockwoods have always been a pack of angry douchebags. Always getting in fights, always quick to anger. I just assume it's their time of the month and carry on my merry way."

"Right. Because as long as it doesn't affect you or your brothers, you don't care."

"Correction: as long as it doesn't effect me or the people I care about, I don't care. Your sister happens to fall into that category, which officially puts you under my protection as well. Congratulations, Ric, you're practically invincible now," Danny smirked, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Gee, thanks," Ric replied sarcastically, turning around and heading back toward the party.

Danny stood outside for a bit longer, giving a small wave to Elena and Matt before deciding to take a stroll through the grounds. He took his phone out of his pocket, tapping it against the palm of his hand a few times in thought. He was debating calling the Winchesters to see what they were up to-now that he had some time on his hands, of course. He scrolled through his contacts list, highlighting Dean's name and giving a small pause. He was about to call him when he felt pain shoot through his head, prompting him to drop his phone on the ground.

He dropped to his knees, digging his fingers into his head reflexively to stop the agony he was currently in. It felt like icy claws were ripping through his mind, a thousand voices-all of them the same- calling his name. It took all his effort not to scream as he squeezed his eyes shut, struggling to put up his mental walls to keep out whatever was trying to get in, but to no avail. _Lucifer?_ He managed to respond. With that, the voices ceased and the pain began to dissipate, leaving him only with a more manageable migraine and a feeling of exhaustion permeating his entire being.

Picking up his phone, he stood up and began to slowly walk towards the house, holding his head in his hand. He entered a room of people clapping, which only served to annoy him more. In the center, he spotted John, ringing a bell-yet more noise to add to the already loud room. Glancing around, he spotted Damon and Ric and made his way over to them.

"I thought you said you killed him," Danny grumbled from behind them.

"He has a ring like mine, it brought him back," Ric replied.

"Lovely, more magical bullshit. I call next kill," Danny tried to smirk, though it came out as more of a grimace as he rubbed the heel of his hand on his forehead.

"What the hell happened to you?" Damon turned to look at him, concealing the concern he felt.

"Actual hell. Lucifer tried to get in my head. Anyway, I'm calling it a night."

"Lucifer? Really?" Ric asked in disbelief.

"Ask Karen, she'll back me up. Damon, I'll see you at home," Danny clapped him on the shoulder before stumbling out the door.

He made his way down the driveway, stopping when he heard a terrified voice. He approached the sound warily, pausing once more when he saw Stefan standing over a man. He rushed over, pushing Stefan out of the way before turning to the man and grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket, saying "You will forget seeing my brother here tonight. All you will remember is that you had a nice time, but had to leave. You fell down on your way to your car and injured your wrist. You're a clumsy little shit."

That small compulsion had drained away the last of what little energy he had left. Even now, he could tell that making it home on his own wasn't going to happen tonight. He proceeded to turn to his brother, saying in a tired voice, "You're taking me home. Now."

"But-"

"Stefan, please," Danny whispered, feeling darkness close in around him as he passed out, barely feeling Stefan grab him before he hit the ground.


	14. Chapter 14: Guess Who's Back(Edited)

**Chapter 14: Guess Who's Back**

 _January 31, 2010_

Danny awoke on the floor in the Salvatore library, the sun shining on his face, piercing through his closed eyelids. He groaned, opening them slightly before pushing himself up to rest on his knees. He looked around blearily, noting the unsettling quiet around the place. Where were his brothers and, more importantly-

"Would it have killed Stefan to put me in my bed? Maybe tuck me in, read me a bedtime story?" He grumbled, rubbing his eyes slightly in attempt to get the sleep out of them.

He narrowed his eyes, pursing his lips at the lack of response from, well, anything. He was unused to being in complete silence- quite frankly, he loathed it. Even when his brothers were gone, there was always some sort of noise going on. Whether it be from those annoying songbirds that had taken to roosting next to his window, or from the soft rustling of the trees as the wind blew through, noise was a constant presence in his life.

He stood up, glancing around the library for the first time as he noticed something: most of the bookshelves were bare. There were a few books here and there, scattered throughout the shelves, but that was it. He frowned, taking a step closer to the bookshelves to more closely examine the titles that lay there, when he was interrupted by a loud banging that shook the whole house, almost knocking him off his feet.

"Son of Luci- oh, right," Danny began in a startled tone, recalling that he was practically the son of Lucifer, and taking his own name in vain kind of defeated the purpose.

The shaking stopped, and Danny made his way outside warily, the books forgotten. As he stepped out the front door, he blinked his eyes at the bright sun, a small breeze picking up and ruffling his hair, yet doing little else besides that. He glanced around, freezing in place as he spotted a man at the boundary line of his house, seemingly drawing lines in the air. The man seemed to sense his presence and looked up, a devilish smirk working over his features as he waved his fingers at him before leaning against what appeared to be nothing. _How is he-oh. Oh. OH. Well, bollocks._ Danny grumbled, walking towards the man slowly.

"Well, it's nice to see you again, Danny-boy. Did ya miss me?" Lucifer smiled.

"Like herpes. What do you want?" Danny responded with a roll of his eyes.

"Well I tried to contact you to have a nice, civilized-" Danny snorted at this. "Conversation. When I suddenly found myself here, wandering around some creepy-ass woods. Mind explaining where we are?"

"'Creepy-ass woods'? Oh, that's just one of the many barriers protecting my mind," Danny responded after a moment of thought. He glanced around once more, now able to see the light sheen of the barrier Lucifer was pressed against. He took a second a savor his triumph at being able to keep the Devil at bay before saying, "We're in my head. Or, well, I am anyway. You don't have an invite so you're just sort of stuck outside."

"This is your head? Doesn't really seem like your style. I expected something a little more...me," Lucifer responded with a twisted smirk.

"It reflects where I feel safest-the place I call home. I don't really have much control over what it looks like. Though, I must say, it is quite different from the last time I was here," Danny mused, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"I see... and what about the dog that tried to eat me in the woods?"

"Wolf, actually. He protects my mind when I can't. Been almost 50 years since I've seen him. Glad to know he's still keeping the riffraff out," Danny responded, a smirk twisting onto his own features the same way Lucifer's had.

"Alistair always did like wolves," Lucifer remarked, tapping his lips and looking at Danny meaningfully.

"Jolly good for him. Now, what do you want?" Danny asked once more, dismissing Lucifer's comment with a wave of his hand.

"Well, I've come to recruit you to join my army, of course," Lucifer smiled, holding out his arms to the side.

"Cut the crap. We both know you want me to be the vessel for Alistair. Besides, last time I joined an army, they killed me so...nope," Danny replied, his mind flashing back to the moment of his death.

The scenery around Danny changed, resembling a dark forest, quiet, except for the sound of heavy breathing. He saw himself come from between the trees, dressed in a Confederate uniform, hand clutching at his abdomen to staunch the flow of blood. He paused to put his hand on a tree, taking a moment to recuperate his strength before continuing onward. The current Danny scowled, pushing away the memory with a snap of his fingers before turning back to Lucifer, who seemed intrigued at what had been happening.

"What was that?" He questioned.

"The day I died. I deserted the Confederacy, and they hunted me down and killed-wait, why am I telling you this? I don't even like you," Danny snapped.

"Don't like me? The huge hickey you left on my neck last time says otherwise, Danno."

"What can I say? I'm kinky like that. Besides, I would've thought ripping your heart out would be enough of an indication," he remarked dryly.

"Yeah, I have to say that was a bit of a surprise. Didn't think you had it in you to actually try to wound me. But, I suppose being high on angel juice will do that to you," Lucifer mused, tapping his chin once more.

"Ew."

"We're getting off topic. The point is, I know you hate humans as much as I do-"

"Actually, at this point, its diminished to more of a general dislike. But, go on. Continue with your futile efforts to sway me," Danny smirked, snapping his fingers once more and conjuring himself a chair and a glass of bourbon.

Lucifer paused to stare at him for a moment before saying, "Think about it, Danny. All the power of an archangel at your fingertips. The ability to find all your enemies-everyone whoever crossed you- and make them pay. A world to remake as you see fit-"

"You're really trying to sway me with power? It's like you don't know me at all, mate. I've never much cared for power-gaining it always seemed tedious, and once you have it, where's the challenge? Sure, I'm better than everyone else-and I'd have the power to prove it- but where is the challenge after that? What's the next obstacle to overcome? Oh, and I don't like others controlling me so...there's that too," Danny concluded as an afterthought, taking a sip of his bourbon.

"You really get a kick out of interrupting me, don't you?"

"And saying 'no'. There's also the added bonus of the fact that you can't touch me from behind the barrier-which brings me to my next question: how did you find me?" Danny asked, swirling the contents of his glass around in his left hand.

"You said my name. You opened yourself up to me and, through that tiny little hole, I managed to burrow my way into your head," Lucifer smirked, wiggling his finger forward like a worm as he spoke.

Danny stared at him, torn between irritation and exasperation as he said, "Meeting you really sucks, you know that? I had a list of swears that I replaced with your name, and now it's useless."

Danny took a moment to take a sip of his drink, his body relaxed and his mind at ease, despite his proximity to Lucifer. This was his world, he controlled it, Lucifer had no power here-and he knew it. Or, at least he was about to-

"C'mon, just give me a chance, buddy. We can throw around a ball - go see a movie -" Lucifer began, interrupting his thoughts

"You went from making an attempt at a 'father-son bonding moment' to asking me out on a date. Make up your mind, mate," Danny cocked an eyebrow, his lips twitching as he suppressed a smile at Lucifer's irritated look.

The vampire then pursed his lips and tapped the side of his glass with his fingers before saying 'Ah, what the hell?' And finishing off the last of the bourbon before tossing it over his shoulder, watching as it faded into smoke behind him. He rose from his chair, stretching as it too faded into smoke. He walked toward Lucifer, passing through the barrier and moving to the foggy forest behind him.

He paused for a moment, looking over his shoulder as he asked, "You comin' or not?"

"Where?"

"A walk. I'm giving you a shot, mate. Don't blow it," Danny replied shortly, continuing into the forest.

He heard footsteps behind him before Lucifer appeared at his side, looking at him curiously, asking, "What made you change your mind?"

"A feeling," he shrugged. He frowned a bit before expounding with, "Some part of me wants to trust you, Lucifer. Probably whatever bit of Grace is in me or Alistair's influence - whatever floats your proverbial boat." He paused again. "Regardless of what it is, I owe it to myself to explore whatever connection we have."

"Ah, so it's curiosity that drives you?" Lucifer confirmed, receiving a shrug in response.

The two fell quiet as they continued to walk further into the forest, ducking under branches and stepping over logs. They eventually stopped when they heard the echoing sound of steps approaching them. Lucifer looked at Danny questioningly, cocking an eyebrow at the expression on the vampire's face. His eyes were bright, a smile of mingled excitement and contentment on his face as he stepped forward, arm outstretched and hand out.

A black and white muzzle pressed itself against his palm as a large stag stepped out from the shadows, giving its large antlers a shake as he greeted the vampire. Danny grinned widely as he moved his hand up to rest on the stag's forehead, watching as the creature closed his eyes with a sigh of contentment.

"A friend of yours?" Lucifer questioned warily.

"Aye," Danny replied softly. "When I was younger - before I became a vampire - I used to be able to talk to animals - mainly deer and wolves, but I could understand the other animals well enough. I used to run around the forest a lot, and made friends with two creatures: a stag that I dubbed Frost, and a wolf called Jay.

"I...didn't have the best time at home," He pursed his lips, privately thinking that was the understatement of the century. "So I always came out and played with them. I always felt safe and secure - like nothing could ever hurt me when I was with them."

He paused, giving a hearty chuckle before saying, "Meeting Elijah and Klaus - some friends of mine - years later...believe me, the symbolism was not lost on me."

"What do you mean?" Lucifer asked curiously.

"Everybody has an animal that represents them in some way. For instance: in the Bible you're referred to as a snake - whether or not that's what truly represents you is not for me to say. The animal that represents me is a wolf," he turned his head slightly to give Lucifer a wolffish grin. "The animals that represent Klaus and Elijah are a wolf and a stag, respectively.

"They took me in when I was turned and treated me like I was part of their family. I always felt protected when I was with them," the vampire pursed his lips in thought, turning his head to look at him more fully. "I suppose Klaus might also be a reason why I decided to give you a chance."

"Really?" Lucifer asked, raising his eyebrows and leaning against a tree.

"You two are eerily similar," Danny grinned, lowering his hand and allowing the stag to walk away. He then turned his head to the sky, narrowing his eyes slightly and tilting his head to the side, as though listening to something. He gave a short nod before turning back to Lucifer.

"It's time for me to wake up - and for you to leave. I'm sure we'll see each other again," Danny pressed his middle finger and thumb together. "Talking to you was...not completely awful."

With that, he gave a snap of his fingers and Lucifer disappeared in a puff of smoke. He watched the tendrils snake upward and over the trees for a moment before they too disappeared. He turned around, prepping himself for his return to the real world. Something nagged at him, though. Despite his words to Lucifer, the idea of being stronger did have a certain...allure that he couldn't deny. _Perhaps I should reconsider his offer? Use him to my advantage for a bit before I ditch him like a prom date. Besides, with Katherine coming back soon, Klaus won't be far behind. I'll need every advantage I can get to outplay him._


	15. Chapter 15: Starving for a Hunt(Edited)

**Chapter 15: Starving for a Hunt**

 _February 1, 2010_

"Are you sure this is the right time to go? Stefan's on the blood train, John Gilbert knows who we are, and the tomb vampires are still out there."

"Which is precisely why I need to go, Damon," Danny replied, shutting the trunk of the Impala before turning to his brother and continuing with, "Luring Luci here would add more problems than we know what to deal with. I gave away a bit too much while he was in my head- I let him know where my home was. Admittedly, I was a little arrogant and cocky- moreso than I should have been- and that only puts you guys in danger. Besides, it's time I start being more proactive in the fight against him and his army of demons."

"Still having trouble wrapping my head around the whole 'Satan walks among us' thing. When will you be back? If you decide to come back, that is," Damon asked, a slight challenge in his tone as he leaned against the front doorway.

"I plan on returning by the time Founder's Day rolls around. It's an important day in the town's history, so I'm sure there will be a variety of interested parties of the vampiric persuasion attending," Danny replied, opening the driver's side door and sticking one foot in in preparation for his departure.

"You mean like Katherine?" Damon stood up a little straighter.

"With any luck. Anyway, I should probably head out. Give my regards to Stefan, would you? And my apologies for not being around when he needs me," Danny pulled himself into the car, closing the door and rolling down the window.

"I'm sure Mr. Hero Hair will understand you going off to save the world. Have fun," Damon said with a wave of his fingers.

Danny chuckled before starting the car, giving a small 'ooh' of appreciation as _More Than a Feeling_ by _Boston_ began to play. He pulled out of the driveway to the Boarding house, making his way into town, humming to himself all the while. After about ten minutes of driving, he took his phone out-took a deep breath- and dialed a number he hadn't called in a while.

It rang a few times before a voice answered, "Where the hell is my car?"

"Well, hello to you too, sunshine," Danny remarked, a small smirk spreading over his face as he turned down the radio.

"Danny, I swear to God, if something happened to Baby, I will-"

"Relax, Deano, I'm bringing her back now. Where can I meet ya'll?" Danny cut off his threats.

"New Haven, Indiana. I swear, if there is one scratch on her I will-"

"Do something horrible to me, no doubt. Relax, Dean, I took care of her. Don't forget, she was my car before your dad got her."

There was a pause, then, "Just get her back safe, alright?" There was a click, and the line went dead.

Danny replaced his phone in his pocket, eyes returning to the road as he made the lengthy drive to New Haven.

* * *

Danny spotted the boys outside a Pizza Hut, driving the crappy Mustang he had set them up in when he had modified their memories. Pulling into a parking spot, he raised an eyebrow as Dean began to rush over, Sam following at a slightly slower pace. Exiting the car, Danny was immediately met with a fist to his face, and Dean grabbing hold of his leather jacket and slamming him against the car roughly.

"I oughta impale you-"

"Well, at least buy me a drink first," Danny shot back, unable to help himself.

"That's not what I- I didn't mean it like-" Dean spluttered to come up with a response, spit flying out of his mouth as he spoke.

"Ew, you're a spitter too," Danny snickered, enjoying watching Dean's face change several shades.

Sam decided it was best to intervene before things could escalate any further. With some effort, he separated his brother from Danny-who wiped the spit off his face before readjusting his jacket. The two stared at each other for a moment, Sam's face not giving away any of what he was feeling, while Danny's was a mix of apprehension, mild excitement, and amusement.

"Why the sudden change of heart? Why come back now?" Sam finally asked.

"The Morning Star tried to gatecrash my mind last night. Figured it was best if I left town, joined up with you guys, and helped take him down. Just like old times," Danny replied with a small smile.

"Wait, Lucif-" Dean began.

"Don't say his name around me," Danny snapped, his eyes darting around frantically, as though expecting Lucifer to pop up right then and there. "That's how he found me the first time."

"Uh-huh... what do you mean 'tried'?" Dean asked instead, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I mean, I already had wards in place to keep unwanted visitors out of my head. It takes a lot of concentration, and years of practice, but I doubt even God could read my thoughts," Danny smirked arrogantly.

"Think you could teach us?" Sam asked eagerly.

"Only if you've got at least a hundred years of extra time on your hands. Catch," Danny replied, turning to Dean and tossing him the keys to the Impala.

Dean looked at the keys and held them reverently, almost like he would a newborn child. Danny had to suppress a snicker at this, catching Sam's eye briefly and schooling his features. He gave a small cough, turning away from the two as an awkward silence ensued between the three of them.

"So, uh, what've you been up to, Danny?" Sam asked when the awkwardness became too much to bear.

"Lying low, mostly. Killed a few vampires, started setting the groundwork for a revenge scheme that's been over a hundred years in the making. You know, the usual. What about you guys? Did I miss any fun?"

"We traveled back in time and met our parents, and Michael," Sam replied as Dean made his way into the Impala.

"The Archangel? I bet he was a barrel of laughs," Danny remarked sarcastically.

"Yeah, he was...pretty blunt and uptight. Still, he's better than the other guy," Sam replied with a shrug, walking over to the passenger side of the car.

"I don't know about that. I prefer snarky and sassy to grumpy and uptight any day, honestly," Danny responded truthfully, opening the car door and settling into his usual seat in the back.

"Hey, hey, hey-" Dean began as Sam entered the car.

"It's fat Albert," Danny muttered under his breath.

"Who said you were allowed in my car?" Dean continued, ignoring his remark.

Danny narrowed his eyes, a thousand and one barbs on the tip of his tongue before he caught Sam's eye. He was giving him the puppy dog look- the really cute one that was hard to say no to. He silently mouthed 'be nice' at Danny, who rolled his eyes discreetly before acquiescing.

"Tell you what, Dean, as long as we're in this car-and you're still mad at me- you can say whatever you want to and about me. As a bonus, I won't retaliate in any way, shape, or form," Danny offered after a moment.

Dean raised an eyebrow, "For real?"

"You have my word," Danny promised.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road then, you undead son of a bitch," Dean snickered, putting the car in reverse.

* * *

 _February 14, 2010_

Dean and Danny were sitting at the little table in their tiny-ass motel room, quietly sipping their respective beers and reflecting on what they had just witnessed. They had both returned from the morgue, having investigated a couple that had eaten each other to death. Not even Danny could find many jokes to make at the rather gruesome death-though it wasn't for lack of trying. They fell flat for the most part, making him and Dean both cringe at some of them. Dean tried to make a few of his own, but didn't fare much better.

They were both broken from their thoughts, however, as Sam entered the room, carrying fast food and a salad in his hands. Dean perked up a bit at the sight of food, looking up from the folder he was reading.

"How'd it go?" Dean asked.

"Um...No EMF, no sulfur. Ghost possession and demonic possession are both probably out," Sam responded, closing the door and walking further into the room.

"Hmm. That's where I was puttin' my money," Dean replied, his face furrowed in a small frown.

"Nope."

"I was leaning towards kinky cannibalism gone wrong," Danny input, taking a sip of his beer.

They both looked at him weirdly, Dean asking, "Is that something you're uh..."

"Hey, I'm willing to try almost anything, Deano. Cannibalism is where I draw the line," Danny responded.

"And here I thought it'd be right up your alley, considering you like to bite people," Dean gave a small chuckle.

"So do you," Danny pointed out.

There was an awkward silence between the three before Dean rubbed his eyes, turning to Sam and saying, "Well, then what, then? Oh, dude! At the coroner's- you didn't see these bodies. I mean, these two started eating a- and they just... kept going. I mean, their stomachs were full. Like - like...Thanksgiving-dinner full. Talk about co-dependent."

"Taking oral to a whole new level," Danny agreed, clinking his beer against Dean's before they both drank.

Sam flashed them a disgusted look before sitting down, pulling his laptop towards him and saying. "Well...I mean, we got our feelers out. Not much more we can do tonight. All right. I'm just gonna go through some files. You can go ahead and get going."

"Sorry?" Dean replied in confusion.

"Go ahead. Unleash the kraken. See you tomorrow morning," Sam said in a dismissive tone.

Dean, still confused, turned to Danny, who shrugged noncommittally. Seeing he was getting no help from him, he turned back to his brother, asking, "Where am I going?"

Suddenly, Danny's phone began to buzz, prompting him to rise to his feet and say, "Well, I don't know where you're going, but I have a phone call with a pretty lady."

With that, he exited the motel room, walking over to the Impala before answering the phone, saying, "Happy Birthday/Hallmark Holiday, Kare."

There was a laugh from the other end as Karen responded, "Thank you, and thanks for the flowers. How did you know white roses are my favorite?"

"I stalked you for four months, remember? Oh, wait, I forgot which Salvatore I was for a moment. Speaking of, how've they been? I haven't heard from Stefan or Damon since I left. Is the town still in one piece?" Danny questioned.

"Lots of stuff happened, but I'll summarize as best I can: Bonnie came back, Pearl gave Damon some old watch thing she got from some Gilbert, and Stefan is locked up after almost eating one of the Miss Mystic Falls ladies. What about you? Any news on You-Know-Who?"

"Voldemort? He died in 1998. Lucy, on the other hand, is alive and kicking as far as I know. We haven't really come across him or his guys yet, so I suppose that's good? We're working a case right now where two people ate each other to death-" Danny smirked.

"And that's my cue to hang up. I'll talk to you later, Danny. Take care of yourself," Karen hurriedly said.

There was a pause before Danny replied, "Yeah, you too." He then quickly hung up before turning to go back inside the crappy motel.

* * *

Danny was waiting inside a rather nice restaurant, waiting for Sam and Dean to appear. He had decided to skip out on the return trip to the morgue, figuring he'd hear about whatever happened from the two men. He lifted his head up from his menu at the sound of the door opening, spotting the Winchesters and-surprisingly- Castiel. He waved them over, grinning widely as they took seats around him.

"You guys go to look at corpses and you bring me back my favorite...angel," Danny's smile faltered slightly as Castiel sat beside him.

He could hear the blood pumping beneath the angel's skin, smell the euphoric scent of angelic grace filtering through his bloodstream. He had to have a taste again, just one more drop. He could feel the veins about to appear under his eyes before he pulled himself back, remembering that this was Cas, his mate - his best mate. With a sharp intake of breath, he pulled his urges back, adopting a blank look on his face.

"Dude, you okay?" Dean asked, glancing him over.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine. I almost had a... relapse," he took a moment to glance at Castiel meaningfully before turning back to Dean, saying, "What did you find?"

"Apparently, it's a rogue cherub," Sam replied.

Danny raised an eyebrow, asking, "You mean the little flying fat kid in diapers?"

"Apparently, they're not incontinent," Dean smiled.

"Riiiight," Danny rolled his eyes, figuring he'd learned that word from Cassie.

They all took a moment to order their food-Castiel and Danny abstaining from eating this time. Cas' reason for doing so was obvious: he was an angel, and therefore didn't need to eat. Danny's reasoning, however, was a little different. Though he didn't need to eat to survive, he did enjoy it, just as many of his kind did. This time, however, he figured he should focus more on not eating Cas, and less on stuffing his face.

When the waitress finally returned with a cheeseburger and salad, Dean turned to Cas and asked, "So, what, you just happen to know he likes the cosmos at this place?"

"This place is a nexus of human reproduction. It's exactly the kind of-" Castiel hesitated, watching Dean put ketchup on his cheeseburger before continuing, "-of garden the Cupid will come to- to pollinate."

Dean brought his cheeseburger to his mouth, about to take a bite before putting it back down on the plate and pushing it away. Even Danny, distracted as he was, found this odd, as well as mildly concerning. Since when did Dean Winchester refuse red meat? Apparently, Sam was following his train of thought as he asked, "Wait a minute. You're not hungry?"

"No," Dean responded. Sam gave him a 'really?' look, and the older Winchester elaborated with, "What? I'm not hungry."

"Then you're not going to finish that?" Cas asked, reaching over and taking his burger.

Danny narrowed his eyes at Cas, wondering why he was eating human food. He was about to ask as Cas brought the burger to his mouth for the first bite, when they both felt something, and looked away. Danny could smell it more than he could see the little cherub. It was more like a glowing ball of light, pulsating with power as it fluttered around a couple. If he squinted hard enough, he could just make out a rather rotund fellow.

"He's here," Cas and Danny both said, eyes locked onto the Cupid.

"Where? I don't see anything," Sam said, looking around.

Cas and Danny's eyes followed the ball of light, Danny nodding his head toward the couple as Cas said, "There."

Dean and Sam followed their line of sight to the couple making out in the couple, Dean confirming, "You mean the same-side-of-the-booth couple over there?"

"Meet me in the back," Cas said before angeling away.

The remaining three looked at each other for a moment before rising to their feet and heading toward the back- Danny stopping to leave a $100 bill on the table before going after them. Making their way into the back room, they spotted Cas in the middle, holding out his hand and keeping the cherub from moving.

"Cas, where is he?" Sam asked.

"I have him tethered," Cas replied before chanting, "Zoda kama mahrana. Manifest yourself."

The Winchesters looked around, Dean asking, "So, where is he?"

Seemingly out of nowhere, a large, nude man appeared behind Dean-beside Danny- and hugged him from behind, saying in a joyful voice, "Here I am!"

"Help!" Dean screamed.

Danny was torn between snickering and sinking his fangs into the cherub's neck as he rocked Dean from side to side, saying in a baby voice, "Oh, help is on the way. Yes, it is. Yes, it is. Hello, you!" He dropped Dean, going over to hug Castiel instead.

Cas grunted and groaned, a few bones making audible popping sounds as Dean asked in disbelief, "This is Cupid?"

"Yes," Castiel managed to choke out.

Cupid turned to look at Sam, walking toward him and saying, "And look at you, huh?"

"No," Sam said, beginning to turn away when Cupid appeared in front of him, hugging him as tightly as the others, chanting 'yes'.

"Is this a fight? Are we in a fight?" Dean demanded.

"This is... their handshake," Cas replied slowly, walking over to them.

"I don't like it."

"No one likes it."

Cupid finally turned to Danny, saying, "And look at you, big guy. You look like you could use-"

"Touch me, and I will eat you," Danny threatened, showing his fangs.

"And threat acknowledged. What can I do for you?" the Cupid continued to smile, turning to Dean and Cas.

Despite knowing that the danger was over, Danny couldn't retract his fangs. The scent of one angel was hard enough to resist- but two? Apparently, that was a bit more than Danny could handle at the moment. Without another word, Danny vamped out of the building, stopping beside another small building and putting his hands on his knees, trying to regain some modicum of control over himself. _Shit. Shit. Shit. Get it together, Danny. You can do this, you can control it. Cas is your friend, not food._

"Dude, you okay?" Asked a voice behind him.

Danny turned to look at the stranger, who began to scramble away at the sight of Danny's monstrous face. Danny vamped in front of him, grabbing his shoulders and looking into his eyes as he said, "That depends: what's the worst thing you've ever done?"

"I cheated on my wife with her two sisters," the man answered robotically.

Danny took a moment to consider this before saying, "That'll do it. Don't make any noises." He then sank his fangs into the man's neck.

* * *

The next morning, Danny opened the door to the motel, closing it quietly behind him before turning around and stopping as he spotted Dean standing in front of him, arms crossed and foot tapping. Danny raised an eyebrow, reminded of a parent who caught their child coming home after curfew.

"Where the hell have you been? You just took off without warning!" Dean practically shouted.

Danny rolled his eyes, tossing his keys on the table as he said, "Well, you see, mum, I was substituting."

"'Substituting'? What's that supposed to mean?"

"The definition of substituting is to use or add in place of-" Danny began, speaking as though to a child.

"I know what the word means!" Dean snapped.

"Well, then why did you ask?" Danny questioned, walking over to the cooler and grabbing himself a beer.

"That's not what I meant, and you damn well know it."

"Hmm," Danny hummed in response, popping the cap off the beer and taking a sip. He rolled the bottle between his hands for a moment, debating how much to tell Dean. After a moment, he settled on, "How much do you remember about before I modified your memories? More specifically, what do you remember about Death being raised?"

"I remember Ellen and Jo dying... And that Satan captured you, but you escaped. Why?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"Well, uh, you see, while I was with old Lucy-loo, I found out some interesting things..." Danny began.

He explained the whole thing to Dean, about how Lucifer had captured in attempt to get him to join him, how he had drank his blood and became supercharged enough to escape. He hesitated when it came to talking about his detox, choosing to skim over how bad it really was. He explained everything that Cas told him, his tone turning into one of mild annoyance as he realized how similar his story was to Alistair's.

Dean was silent for a moment, sipping the beer he had retrieved as Danny told his story. After a few sips, he finally said, "So, let me get this straight: you're the descendant/reincarnation of the son of the Devil, you have a weird addiction to angel blood, and you have archangel mojo inside you. Is that about right?"

"Eh, close enough. Usually I can control it pretty easily-but something's different this time," Danny frowned thoughtfully.

"Great. You have a thing for angel blood, Sam has a thing for demon blood-am I the only normal one around here?"

"You got hit on by an angel who went back in time and tried to prevent you and your brother from ever existing. I think we can both agree that 'normal' will never be a word used to describe any of our lives," Danny remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"Solid point," Dean replied, taking another swig of his beer.

The two sat in a companionable silence for a while, Dean drinking and Danny swapping between playing Tetris and playing Solitaire on his phone. It was after he had won his tenth game that Sam showed up, carrying a briefcase. He set it on the table, explaining that he had stolen it from a demon.

"What do you think's in it?" Dean asked, stepping closer to it.

"Dirty magazines?" Danny suggested, raising an eyebrow as he propped his chin on his hands.

The Winchesters gave him a look that said 'seriously?' prompting Danny to respond with, "Hey, it wouldn't be the first time. It was really awkward when they fell out of the briefcase during our fight. I killed her shortly thereafter, but still."

"Riiight. So, what the hell does a demon got to do with this anyway?" Dean asked, turning his attention to Sam.

"Pfft, believe me, I got no idea," Sam responded.

Sam's jaw twitched, and his body shook slightly- something that didn't escape Dean's notice as he asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be alright," Sam replied unconvincingly.

Dean stared at him for a moment before turning back to the briefcase and saying, "Let's crack her open. What's the worst that could happen, right?"

The boys began to open the case, Danny rising to peek over their shoulders. A bright light began to shine from the case, causing the Winchesters to jump up from their kneeling position and try to shield their eyes. Danny, however, tilted his head to the side curiously as he slowly reached out a hand toward it. He could hear a certain music coming from it. It was barely noticeable, he doubted the boys even heard it, but it still called to him all the same. When his fingertips were mere inches from it, the light faded away, and Danny lowered his arm in slight disappointment.

"What the hell was that?" Dean asked.

"It's a human soul. It's starting to make sense now," came Castiel's voice from behind them. The boys turned around, watching as Cas took a bite from a burger he was holding.

"Remember that talk about coronaries we keep having? You almost gave me one again, Cas," Danny said irritably, rubbing his temples to soothe the pounding headache the angel had brought with him into the room.

"Now, what about that makes sense?" Sam asked.

"And when did you start eating?" Dean followed up with the important question.

"Exactly. My hunger-it's a clue, actually," Cas replied, gesturing at them with his burger.

"For what?" The brothers questioned simultaneously.

"Oh shit," Danny groaned, finally catching on.

The angel began walking towards them as he began to explain, "This town is not suffering from some love-gone-wrong effect. It's suffering from hunger. Starvation, to be exact-Specifically...famine."

"Famine?" Sam clarified, getting a nod from Cas before continuing, "As-as in the Horseman?"

"Great. Th-th-that's freaking great," Dean said sarcastically, turning around and away from the two.

As Cas took another bite from his burger, Sam looked confused as he said, "I thought famine meant starvation, like as in, you know, food."

"Yes. Absolutely. But not just food. I mean, everyone seems to be starving for something- Sex, attention, drugs, love..." Cas trailed off.

"Blood?" Danny supplied, keeping his gaze away from the angel as he said this.

"Yes..." Cas responded, taking a step back from the vampire at that little reminder.

Danny took the hint, deciding to put some distance between himself and the angel. He walked out of the hotel room towards the parking lot. Once there, he took deep breaths, pacing in circles as he tried to keep his cravings under control. Control had never been an issue for him when it came to feeding-he always stopped before he killed someone. Of course, then he usually snapped their neck after, but that was beside the point. The point was that he had no idea how to keep himself from tearing Cassie's neck open every time he saw him. _Where's Elijah when you need him?_ He wondered dryly as he took a flask out of his pocket, drinking the odd mixture of blood and bourbon.

He glanced up as Cas and Dean made their way toward the Impala, which he was now leaning against. He raised an eyebrow, noting that Sam wasn't with them. The pair stopped a few feet from him, eyeing him cautiously- as one might an angry dog. Danny rolled his eyes, taking another swig of his flask.

"Relax, I'm not gonna bite your head off. I've got a coping mechanism in place," Danny assured them, holding his flask up.

"What happens when you run out?" Dean asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Tap a vein, grab a bottle of bourbon and continue on with my day," Danny smiled, getting into the car and signaling the end of their conversation.

* * *

The three of them sat in the Impala outside Biggerson's restaurant, watching a demon carry around Famine's soul food inside his briefcase. They watched as he entered the building, Danny fidgeting his fingers as he drained the last of his flask. He gave a small frown, suppressing a groan as he thought Well, this can only end well.

"Hey, happy meal. The plan?" Dean's raised voice pierced through his thoughts.

"Uh, I take the knife, I go in, I cut off the ring hand of Famine, and I meet you back here in the parking lot," Cas recited after a moment of hesitation.

"Well, that sounds foolproof," Dean commented as Castiel disappeared.

The two waited in silence for approximately ten seconds before deciding that Cas was taking too long. The pair exited the car, Dean carrying his shotgun and Danny Cas' angel blade as they walked toward the back door of the restaurant. Danny jimmied the lock open, and the two entered slowly, glancing around in the darkness. They both cringed at the guy who was boiled alive in the frier before spotting Cas kneeling on the ground in the middle of the restaurant. Dean called his name a few times, but got no response. It was then that they were attacked by two demons, prompting Danny to hide the blade away and hold his hands up in surrender-knowing they would bring them to Famine- Dean tried to fight back, but was slammed against a door, disorienting him.

The demons drug them into the room where Cas was consuming raw meat-which Danny was sure probably wasn't good for him. They were brought in front of some old dude in a motorized wheelchair-whom Danny only spared a passing glance before turning his attention back to the angel.

"The other Mr. Winchester and... pardon, I don't think I received your surname," the old bag of bones said.

"Good. Because, if you knew, I'd have to kill you," Danny answered, trying and failing to pull his gaze away from Cas.

"What did you do to him?" Dean demanded, gesturing towards Cas.

"You sicced your dog on me. I just threw him a steak."

Danny stopped paying attention to the conversation, unable to hear them any longer as the sound of blood pounded in his ears, the sweet smell filled his nostrils as his eyes trained on Castiel's jugular. He could feel the veins appear, his tongue ran over his pointed fangs as his body trembled in anticipation. It would be easy. Cas was defenseless in the presence of Famine, unable to do anything other than eat. All it would take was one bite to the neck, one drop of blood, and he would feel that delicious power running through his veins once more.

He felt the demons release him, one of them grabbing Cas' hair and tilting his head to the side to give him better access. He took a step toward the angel, pausing momentarily as he vaguely heard Dean call his name. He shook it off, kneeling in front of Cas as he continued to eat. It was so close, he could almost taste it. He reached a hand towards Cas before he stopped himself. _No. You don't hurt family._ He narrowed his eyes, struggling to shake away the voice as he moved closer to Cas, his fangs mere inches from his jugular.

"I'm sorry, Cas," he whispered.

Danny prepared himself to sank his fangs into the angel's neck when, at the last second, he instead sank them into the wrist of the demon that was holding Cas. The demon screamed in pain, though that was nothing compared to the agony Danny currently found himself in. It felt as though he had swallowed molten lava, the heat filling every part of his entire being as his body tried to eject the sanguine liquid. His body convulsed as he vomited his stomach contents-which consisted only of blood and bourbon. He heard Dean call his name again, but he was unable to answer as the blood continued to spill forth from his mouth. Unable to take the pain anymore, Danny did the only thing he could think of: he snapped his own neck.


	16. Chapter 16: Hell Fire(Edited)

**Chapter 16: Hell Fire**

 _February 16, 2010_

Danny awoke the next morning with a stiff neck and a dry mouth. He opened his eyes blearily, noticing that he was laid up on Bobby's couch. He sat up with a groan, rubbing his neck as he glanced around the room, spotting a glass of red liquid. He picked it up, sniffing experimentally before shrugging and drinking it. He gave a small sigh of relief at the cooling sensation of human blood running down his throat. Hearing movement from the entryway to the kitchen, he turned his head to see Cas standing awkwardly, staring at him. Danny gave a small half smile- relieved that the angel was alright.

"I wanted to thank you," Cas spoke suddenly.

"For what? For almost eating you-again?" Danny raised an eyebrow, taking another sip of his drink.

"For sacrificing yourself to protect me. I know it couldn't have been easy to force yourself to feed on a demon," Castiel answered, walking further into the room.

"You're family, Cas. I won't hurt family," Danny answered with a shrug.

"Still, I appreciate it. You showed great strength when you threw off Famine's control- strength I'm not sure even Alistair possessed at the height of his power."

Danny scowled at the name, taking another drink of blood before setting it down on the side table, its contents empty. He heard footsteps coming down the stairs and looked up to see Dean standing in the hall entryway, his wrist wrapped in a bandage. Danny glanced between his wrist and the glass he had been drinking from, wondering if it was Dean's blood he had drank.

"Hey, how ya feelin'?" Dean asked, leaning against the frame.

"Peachy. I take it I have you to thank for the donation?" Danny gestured to the empty glass.

"Yeah, Cas said fresh blood would help speed up the recovery. Besides, it was the least I could do after you took one for the team," Dean shrugged in response.

Danny rolled his eyes before getting to his feet, popping his neck as he did so. He then said, "I really wish you guys wouldn't make such a big deal out of it. I did what I had to do to protect my family, any of you would've done the same."

"True. But would we have been strong enough to?" Cas countered.

Danny pursed his lips before responding, "Let's hope we won't have to find out."

* * *

 _February 20, 2010_

Danny flipped another page in his book, pulling back his hand swiftly upon receiving a paper cut. He looked down at his finger, watching as the wound quickly healed over. He stuck his finger in his mouth, withdrawing it once all the blood had been siphoned away. He was about to return to his reading when he heard a knock at Bobby's front door, prompting him to sigh and rise to his feet. Upon answering it, he was surprised to find -

"Cas? What brings you here?" Danny questioned before frowning as he took in his appearance. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"I uh," Cas seemed to hesitate for a moment. "Sam and Dean talked to Joshua - who talked to God who said that he's not getting involved in the apocalypse."

"Uh-huh," Danny replied. "And that's what's got you all upset?"

"Disappointed," Cas corrected. "And since your life has basically been one endless series of disappointments, I figured maybe you could help me deal with it."

Danny opened his mouth before shutting it abruptly, unsure of how to respond to that statement. On one hand, he knew Cas was being his usual blunt self and didn't mean any harm in the comment - he probably meant it as a compliment. On the other...well, it was kinda rude. Regardless, Danny decided to disregard the unnecessary parts of his statement and focus on what was important: helping his mate.

"Give me one minute, I'll be right back," Danny promised.

Cas nodded, stepping back from the door as Danny closed it. He wasn't standing around long when he heard the loud roar of an engine, and Danny came riding out from the side of the house on his new black and electric blue Kawasaki motorcycle.

"That blue is very obnoxious," Cas commented.

"Thank you, that's what I was going for. Now, hop on," the vampire said, patting the seat behind him.

"Is it safe? Shouldn't you be wearing a helmet?" Castiel questioned stepping closer to the bike.

"Probably not and what's the point? I'm dead and you're an angel. Wearing a helmet at this point seems a bit redundant," Danny raised his eyebrows above his sunglasses as he smiled at the angel. He tossed the angel his own pair of sunglasses before patting the seat behind him again.

Cas hesitated before putting on the sunglasses and sitting down on the bike, placing his hands carefully on Danny's shoulders. The vampire rolled his eyes before moving the angel's hands to his waist, stating that he'd get a better grip that way. He then revved the engine a few times before speeding down the road. Cas dug his fingers into Danny's hips, his lips flattening into a thin line.

Once they were out of town, Danny called out, "Try holding onto my shoulders and standing on the bike."

"I don't think that's- "

"Live a little, Cas! You're supposed to be having fun!" Danny cut him off, slowing down a bit so Cas would have an easier time.

After a moment of hesitation, Castiel managed to pry his fingers from the vampire's waist, moving them up to settle on his shoulders. He gripped them tightly before slowly moving up to kneel on the seat.

"Is this good enough?!" Cas questioned.

"Depends; are you having fun yet?!" Danny called back.

Cas was silent for a moment, feeling the wind rush over his face and muss up his hair. A slow grin spread over his face, and a small laugh escaped from his mouth, prompting the vampire to grin wildly and speed up. After some time, he pulled in front of an out of the way liquor store.

"What're we doing here?" Cas questioned, sliding off the bike.

"Having fun," Danny replied, turning off the engine and walking into the store. He stopped in front of the cashier, lifting up his sunglasses as he turned on his compulsion. "You're closing down your store for the day and letting my friend and I have some fun. While you're at it, you're gonna turn off the video cameras and erase all evidence of us being here. Got it?"

The cashier nodded slowly before heading to the back and turning off the cameras. When he came out, he walked out the front door, closing and locking it behind him after Cas came in.

"Um...what're we doing?" Cas asked again, watching as Danny slid over the counter and began taking out bottles and glasses.

"Well, I'm your bartender/drinking buddy - and I'm here to make sure you have a fun time and forget everything that's happened," Danny replied, pouring copious amounts Jack Daniels into a glass and sliding it over to Cas.

"This is a terrible idea, and I'm not doing it."

* * *

"I mean, he did create all of us. Would it kill him to take some responsibility for his creations instead of just- just," he paused to burp. "What was I saying?"

"Something about God being a dick?" Danny replied, drinking down the last of a bottle of Jim Beam and throwing it off to the side, wincing slightly at the noise when it shattered.

"Right-uh...why was I talking about that? It's a very depressing subject."

"Yes, Cas. Yes it is."

They were currently three hours into their drinking binge - and about halfway through the store. Danny was laying on the cashier's counter, Castiel was sitting on the floor, his back leaning back against said counter.

"We should talk about something less depressing," Castiel suggested.

"Yes, Cas. Yes we should," Danny agreed.

"Tell me about your...uh...childhood?"

"That's an even more depressing topic, Cassie," Danny informed him before throwing out an arm, reaching out his hand as though to levitate the bottle of Captain Morgan to him.

Cas saw what he was doing and threw out his own hand, pulling the bottle to him. He opened the bottle, taking a long swig of the rum before handing it up to Danny.

"I love you," Danny sighed, taking a swig of the drink.

"Uh, me or the bottle?" Cas questioned, looking up at the vampire with unfocused eyes.

"Uh...both?" Danny shrugged, taking another copious drink.

"Oh...uh...okay," Cas replied intelligently, reaching his hand up for the bottle. When Danny handed it to him, he took a drink from it before asking, "Why was your father...a... uh...a..."

"Humongous pile of dicks?" Danny supplied, reaching down to take the bottle back from Cas. "Beats the hell outta me. I never bothered to try to get into the mind of that lunatic." He took several huge gulps. "I thought we were gonna talk about something less depressing?"

"Well, uh..." Cas trailed off, not having anything to say.

"...Gotta say, it's been awhile since I've had this much fun. I think the last time was... shit. I can't even think of a time," Danny chuckled, handing the bottle back to Cas.

"Your life must be terribly depressing. I'd recommend a new line of work," Cas commented as he drank several gulps.

"Oh, yeah, let me get right on that," Danny rolled his eyes. "I can go back to smoking weed, doing cocaine, and sleeping with/draining complete strangers."

"Wait, when did you do that?"

"1960 to 1975 was a hell of a time to be alive, Cas," Danny replied. "I was partying so hard - until Gabriel came along and ruined it all."

Cas giggled a bit at this. "So, you're telling me that Gabriel - the archangel, the trickster - convinced you to stop partying instead of joining in?"

"Yeah, he was a real dick about it too - probably because I told him to go fuck himself - but still."

"How would that even work?" Cas questioned.

"How would what even work?"

"How would somebody ...um... screw themselves?" Castiel asked, looking upwards toward Danny.

Danny lowered his sunglasses as he turned on his side, looking down at Cas, having mixed feelings about having to give an inebriated angel 'the talk'.

* * *

"And then-and then he just stares around, throws up his hands and goes 'well, shit'," Danny broke up laughing at the last part, unable to hold it in any longer.

Castiel, however, had long since given up trying to restrain his laughter. The angel laughed uproariously at the vampire whose head now rested in his lap. Another few hours had passed, wherein Danny had fallen off the counter from laughing so hard and then felt too lazy to move from his new position. The liquor store was practically empty at this point – the two immortal beings having drank it dry.

Danny stopped laughing abruptly, however, when he felt a buzzing under his head in Cas' pocket. With a frown, he reached into it, pulling out the phone and flipping it open to see that Sam had left a voicemail.

"Ooh, someone's raising the bat signal. Let's see what the Winchesters have gotten themselves into this time," Danny remarked, putting the phone on speaker and playing the message.

"Cas, hey, uh it's me," came Sam's voice. "So, we are in Blue Earth, Minnesota, and, um, we could use a little help. I... hope you get this."

They were silent for a moment before Cas said, "His voice is grating."

"I know, right?" Danny replied, flipping Cas' phone closed and handing it back to him. "Anyway, it sounds important...kinda. I guess you'll be wanting to head out?"

"I don't particularly want to leave. This has been a lot of...fun. More fun than I've ever had. Thank you, Daniel," Cas said honestly.

"No problem. I'm always here for great times and poor decisions," Danny grinned up at the angel.

* * *

 _February 25, 2010_

Danny rolled into Mystic Falls almost a week later, sitting nicely on his new motorcycle. After having to return the Impala to the Winchesters, he had decided to invest in a new ride that he been interested in for years: a bitchin' motorcycle. He drove up to the High School, parking his motorcycle and taking off his shades as he glanced around at everyone setting up the floats for Founder's Day. He felt himself almost being tackled to the ground as arms wrapped around him, causing him to almost stumble back. He glanced down, raising an eyebrow at Karen before tilting her head up and pressing his lips to hers.

"Well, isn't this cute. The two lovebirds, back together again," a familiar voice interrupted the two.

Danny kept Karen in his arms as he glanced up at Damon, who was sauntering towards them with a smirk on his face. Danny released her from his grasp before walking over to Damon and embracing him in a fierce hug, clapping him on his back. Damon looked at him in surprise when they separated. It had been years since his big brother had hugged either him or Stefan like that –unless they had just escaped from mortal peril, of course. But he didn't think that counted.

"I guess someone had a great trip?"

"Eh, could've been better. I'm just glad to be back in Mystic Falls-and that's something I never thought I'd say," Danny grinned widely.

"Well, you missed all the fun. Pearl is dead, and John has the Gilbert device-"

"The what now?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Some sort of watch Emily Bennett spelled. It's supposed to weaken vampires or something like that. Anyway, Bonnie took the spell off- so we're all good," Damon smiled, clapping Danny on the shoulder.

Danny's brow furrowed, his eyes narrowing slightly in thought. He glanced off toward the school as his mind wandered off. _From what I understand, Bonnie isn't particularly fond of vampires, so why disarm the one weapon that could weaken us? She may be Elena's friend, but that doesn't mean she would stop trying to kill us. Besides, even if she did disarm it, that still leaves the threat of all the tomb vampires being in town. I can't keep Karen's secret safe and protect my brothers at the same time. I need to get her out of here._

"Yoo-hoo? Earth to Danny? Anyone home?" Damon asked, snapping his fingers front of Danny's face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking... Anyway, I'll see you later, Damon. I need to talk to Kare- alone," Danny replied, his grip tightening ever-so-slightly on his friend's shoulder.

"What? You don't want to spend time with your favorite brother?" Damon sulked.

"Damon, I promise you, I'll spend the rest of the day with you. But first, there are important things I need to take care of," Danny vowed.

Damon stared at him for a moment before relenting, "Fine. Fine. I'll see you later then. Ciao, Karen."

The vampire then turned and walked away, the duo watching him carefully. Once Danny knew he was out of earshot, he took out his phone and quickly dialed a number. As the phone rang, he turned to Karen and asked, "How long would it take you to pack enough clothes for a couple days?"

"About half an hour. Why-?" Karen began to ask, before she was cut off by Danny raising a hand as the person he was calling picked up.

"Daniel? What's wrong?" Came Castiel's gravelly voice on the other end.

"I love how you people automatically assume something's wrong," Danny remarked briefly before answering, "Listen, Cas, I need you to do me a huge favor. In one hour, I need you to come to Mystic Falls High School. There will be a young, blonde lady with green eyes and a bag. I want you to take her to Bobby's for a few days. Alright?"

"Who is it? Why am I taking her to Bobby's? What's going on?"

"She's someone very important, Cassie. Look, I can't say much- I don't know who might be listening. All I can tell you is that something big is going down tonight- and I want her out of harm's way, alright?" Danny replied, running a hand through his hair in a stressed motion.

"Alright. I'll be there in an hour," Cas replied after a brief pause.

"Thanks, Cassie. I owe ya one," Danny replied, hanging up the phone.

"Danny, what's going on? Why are you sending me away?" Karen finally managed to ask.

"There'll be a lot of vampires here tonight- most will be after the Founding Families, but some might be stupid enough to target me as well. I don't know how many people here know about our ... 'relationship', Kare, but I won't let you be put in harm's way because of me," Danny replied, placing his hands on either side of her face and stroking her cheeks in a circular motion with his thumbs.

She sighed her eyes, closing slightly as she reached up her own hands and placed them on top of his. She rose her eyes up to meet his icy blue eyes- normally cold, detached, and amused- but right now they were soft, warm, and concerned. With another sigh, she said, "Katherine will be here, won't she? That's why you're making me leave for longer than just tonight."

"Yes. I don't know how long it will take to trap her but, once it's done, you can come back to Mystic Falls," he whispered, placing a kiss on her forehead.

She moved her hands down his arms, moving toward his shoulders then down toward his mid-back. She pulled herself close to him, her head resting on his pectorals as she softly said, "Please, promise me you'll be careful."

The vampire tightened his arms around her, kissing the top of her head as he whispered into her hair, "You of all people know I can't make that promise."

* * *

After handing off Karen to Cas, Danny made good on his promise to spend the remainder of the day with Damon. Despite all the snarky, sarcastic comments that were thrown his way, Danny knew his brother was secretly glad to have him back in town. They attended the little parade with floats, where Danny discovered how much Elena really looked like Katherine, and he officially met the Bennett witch. Needless to say, he was a little less than impressed, not to mention the fact that she seemed like she was hiding something. _Perhaps my instincts were right about her..._ he mused, his eyes narrowing as he watched her leave.

Afterward, he and Damon made their way to the Mystic Grill. Danny stood off in a corner, drinking his glass of bourbon as he watched Damon shamelessly flirt with Elena, only to be friend zoned multiple times. After Elena's awkward moment with her brother, he followed a few steps behind Damon, deciding not to get involved as his brother had the 'don't be a dick' conversation with the baby Gilbert. Not long into the conversation, Stefan appeared and took over, explaining that it was his and Damon's fault for the whole Vicki situation. It was only after Jere-bear had left that he approached his two brothers.

"Hey, Stef. Sorry I haven't been here to help you out-" Danny began before being rudely cut off.

"It's alright, I get it. Stopping the Devil is more important than your brother falling off the wagon again," Stefan replied, his arms crossed in their usual position.

"I've never been very good at dealing with passive aggressive behavior," Danny rolled his eyes. After a brief pause, his expression turned serious as he clapped Stefan on the shoulder, saying, "Look, Stef, there is nothing in the world more important to me than my family- nothing more important than my brothers. I left town to protect you two, and I came back to do the same."

"You think something's gonna happen?" Damon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"This is a major event in Mystic Falls. Of course something bad is going to happen," Danny chuckled with a roll of his eyes.

"I wish I could argue with that," Stefan gave the smallest of smiles, signaling to Danny that all was forgiven.

The oldest brothers bid farewell to Stefan before resuming their stroll through the festival grounds. They talked, played a few games, and both seemed to be having a good time. At least, until night came and Anna approached them. She confirmed Danny's suspicion about the tomb vampires returning and going after the Founding Families, this prompted the two to move through the crowd and locate Ric. After informing him of the situation, his immediate concern was for his sister.

"Not to worry, Ric. I took care of it earlier. She's safe with some friends of mine," Danny assured him.

"Are these friends of yours...?" Ric trailed off.

"Three expert, completely human hunters, one angel, and a Nephilim. There aren't many safe places than that," Danny reassured him, knowing the man was asking if his sister was with vampires.

Ric nodded in gratitude before running off to get weapons out of his car. They immediately ran into Stefan and Elena, giving them a quick rundown of the situation before taking off through the crowd once more. The two made their way to the abandoned office of the deceased Dr. Gilbert, where they found John fiddling around with a box.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Damon demanded, banging open the door.

John turned to face them, saying, "Yes. As a matter of fact, I do." He then turned away from them once more.

"You're either really stupid, or really-" Danny was cut off from the rest of what he was about to say as a high-pitched noise rang in his ears.

He clutched his ears tightly, screaming in pain along with his brother. Damon fell to his knees, Danny only falling to one as he tried to push away the unbearable agony. Damon fully collapsed to the floor, rolling onto his back as Danny shouted his name, now brought down to both his knees. John uncapped a syringe, stabbing Damon in the arm and knocking him out. _Vervain_. Danny managed to think as John did the same to him. He could feel the burning sensation of vervain entering his bloodstream, but he refused to let it bring him down. He couldn't pass out, not when his brother needed him now. He pushed himself to rise to one foot, then the other, bringing him to a somewhat wobbly standing position.

"You're more resilient than I thought you'd be," John remarked, taking two more needles out of his pocket and jabbing Danny in the neck with them.

* * *

When Danny awoke next, he saw Damon lying next to him on the floor, staring at John pouring gasoline over a bunch of bodies. Danny managed to reach out a hand to grab Damon's arm, whispering his name so softly that John couldn't hear. Damon turned to face his brother as John started the fire and, for the first time in his life, he saw an expression that he never thought he'd see on his brother's face: fear.

It wasn't just fear, however, it was pure terror- the likes of which Danny hadn't felt in years. He could feel his heart pounding rapidly against his ribs, claws digging sharply into his chest so hard he could barely breathe. His grip tightened on Damon's arm as his eyes remained on the flames, unable to move his body. His brain was as frozen as the rest of him, unable to think, unable to hear Damon calling his name. He could feel Damon shaking him repeatedly, trying to get him to move, speak, do something- but his efforts were in vain.

Damon managed to bring himself onto his hands and knees, struggling to pull Danny up into a sitting position. Damon shook him some more, shouting his name a few more times. He slapped him in the face and, for the first time, Danny turned to look at him, his eyes clearing slightly. He gripped Damon's arm tightly, saying, "You have to go, Damon. You can still escape. There's still a chance for you to get out of here."

"No, I'm not leaving you," Damon argued.

"You don't have a choice, Damon. I can't move- I can barely think straight. You have to get out of here-save yourself, Damon," Danny pleaded, the edges of his eyes pricking slightly with tears.

"Danny, I'm not abandoning you-"

"Damon, I love you and Stefan both," Danny cut him off before releasing his arm.

With the last of his strength, he kicked Damon across the inferno into the waiting arms of Stefan, who had just appeared down the stairs. The two prepared to go over to him, when a wall of flame rose up in front of them, preventing them from reaching the oldest Salvatore. Danny's eyes locked back onto the flames, the terror engulfing him once more. He could distantly hear his brothers calling his name, hear Damon struggling to get to him before he was pulled up the stairs.

Danny gulped, looking up at the ceiling as he tried to block out the memories threatening to overwhelm him. He could hear the screams- the pained, terrified screams of the damned- as the fire licked at his flesh, he could feel the sharp edge of a knife dig into him over and over again. Cold laughter echoed in his head as he squeezed his eyes shut, covering his ears tightly. I did it for them. I did it for them. He repeated to himself over and over again. It was then that he recalled why he had done it for them: his brothers needed him then. And they need me now.

"CASTIEL! CASTIEL! HELP ME, PLEASE, CASTIEL!" Danny shouted at the top of his lungs.

He heard the fluttering of wings before a pair of hands wrapped around his wrists, removing them from his ears. He slowly opened his eyes, looking up to see the angel staring down at him, the flames stopping in a small circle around them. Castiel pulled him up with ease, wrapping one of the vampire's arms around his shoulders, the angel's arm wrapping around his waist as he supported him. The two made their way across the room slowly- Danny's whole body trembling with every step- the flames moved to the side at their approach, clearing a pathway for the duo. The door swung open as they neared it, allowing them access into the main part of the building- the part that wasn't on fire.

Upon leaving the flames behind, Danny felt some of his strength return to him, his thoughts clearing as they finally exited the building. Waiting outside was Damon, Stefan, Elena, and Bonnie. They all turned around to see who had escaped the flames, astonishment and relief spreading over the faces of three of them. He gave the tiniest of smiles, softly saying, "I'm not that easy to get rid of."

His brothers rushed over to him, engulfing him in a hug and prompting Castiel to release him. Over Stefan's shoulder, Danny managed to mouth to him 'thank you', to which the angel merely responded with a nod before fluttering away.

* * *

Danny was laying down on the couch, nursing a glass of bourbon as he replayed in his mind all that had happened. The pyrophobia- that was something new and unexpected. He hadn't been aware that he had such a fear- nor did he know that coming face to face with it would bring up such painful memories. He took a sip of his bourbon, twisting the glass in his hand as he mused, _then again, this is the first time since then that I've had my humanity- including the glorious ability feel fear- on. At least, in the presence of fire, anyway._ He was interrupted from his thoughts as Damon and Stefan walked into the house.

"We have a problem," Stefan said without preamble.

"I'm feeling spectacular, thank you for asking, Stef," Danny quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Well, it's a problem for us. For you, it might put a little pep in your step," Damon smirked, pouring himself a glass of bourbon.

"Ooh? What happened? Did you get me a dog?" Danny inquired, his tone slightly hopeful.

"Even better: Katherine's back," Damon informed him.

Danny's eyebrows shot up as he took a moment to process this. Finally, everything was falling into place. There were a few minor setbacks, but she was finally here. Revenge would soon be his. Raising his glass, he said, "Let the games begin."


	17. Chapter 17: Partying With Gods(Edited)

**Chapter 17: Partying With Gods**

 _March 3, 2010_

"So, basically what you're telling me is that Michael got ahold of a new vessel, so we're one archangel away from a full-blown apocalypse?" Danny said to the phone pressed tightly to his ear.

He was making his way down the stairs as Dean's voice responded, "Hey, according to Cas, you were the one that tipped the angels off that there was another vessel. You're just as much to blame for this as the rest of us."

"Well, yeah, but I didn't think they'd actually go for the poor schmuck. I was just trying to buy time and get Michael off my ass by sending him on a wild goose chase. Who would've thought they'd settle for second-best?" Danny replied, taking his motorcycle keys off the hook.

He paused, turning toward the living room where his brothers and Elena were standing there, staring at him questioningly. He put Dean on hold before saying, "Hey, I'm going out for a bit. One of my contacts tipped me off to some weird-ass hotel that popped up out of nowhere, so I'm gonna check it out."

"Hotels pop up all the time, what makes this one so different?" Elena asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Because, my sweet, naïve little doppelgänger, this hotel was a demolished motel last night and magically turned into four-star hotel by this morning. That, plus the name is a huge tip off," Danny replied, twirling his keys lazily.

"What is it, the Overlook Hotel?" Damon smirked, sipping his bourbon.

"Even better. It's called 'Elysian Fields.'"

"As in the place where only heroes and those chosen by the gods can go?" Stefan raised an eyebrow, his arms folded as per usual.

"Bingo, Stef. The thing about Pagan deities is that they're not exactly... subtle," Danny gave a small chuckle.

"Wait, hold on, you mean there are other gods besides, you know, the main one?" Elena frowned.

"Yeah. I've only ever met a few here and there. Poseidon was definitely my favorite. Really cool dude, taught me how to surf," Danny stared off into the distance, smiling as he fondly recalled the memory. He shook himself, bringing himself back to the present, as he continued, "Anyway, I'm gonna go now..."

"Wait, what about Katherine?" Damon asked, stepping forward.

"And Mason?" Stefan reminded him.

"There's also Caroline's vampirism," Elena put in.

Danny paused, pointing at Damon first and saying, "In order: I'll deal with the bitch soon enough. Not much I can do while she's avoiding me." He moved on to point at Stefan, continuing with, "Stay inside during full moons, you'll be fine." Lastly, he turned to Elena, finishing off with, "Not my problem. Tally-ho."

With that, he gave a small wave before walking out the door, resuming his call with Dean as he did so.

"Well, anyway, I've got a case, Dean, so I'll call back soon. Kisses," Danny smirked, abruptly hanging up.

* * *

Danny arrived at the motel, sopping wet and almost slipping off his motorcycle. When he arrived, he noticed a familiar black Impala sitting in the parking lot. What the bloody hell are they doing here? Danny wondered idly, stepping off his bike and walking to the front door. He nodded to the man behind the desk before making his way to the dining room. Immediately, he spotted the two Winchesters sitting at a table and made his way over to them.

"Figures the first thing you'd go for in a swanky hotel like this would be the pie. Classic Deano," Danny smiled, clapping the hunter on the back before pulling up a chair to their table.

"Hey, what the hell're you doing here?" Dean questioned.

"I could ask you the same question. This place is a bit out of your price range, innit?" Danny remarked.

"Well, yeah, usually. But, with the monsoon outside, we didn't have much choice," Sam replied defensively.

Danny rolled his eyes, smirking as he brushed his dripping wet hair out of his face. The raging storm occurring outside had been a humongous pain in his ass, considering he had to ride through it on a motorcycle. Still, he couldn't complain, it was his choice, after all.

The three hunters sat around the table and chatted for a bit. Sam and Dean told him about the zombies in Sioux Falls, going to Heaven only to find that God didn't care about their problems, the Whore of Babylon – a case Danny was upset to find he had missed – and Cas' disappearance after the failed rescue attempt of Adam Milligan – something which concerned the vampire greatly. Danny, in turn, informed them of Pierce's return – as well as her attempts to evade him – and the reappearance of werewolves in Mystic Falls. The brothers found that intriguing, considering they'd never met a werewolf that actually turned into a wolf during the full moon.

After the boys had finished eating, they made their way back to their hotel room, Dean immediately going for the chocolates on the pillows. Danny decided to take a shower and give his clothes time to dry off. He hummed a few tunes, pausing when he thought he heard a loud banging noise. He shrugged it off, resuming washing his hair. He distantly heard Dean say they were going to check out the hotel, leaving Danny by himself. After finishing his shower, he stepped out of the bathroom, making sure his towel was wrapped securely around his waist. Upon entering the room, he noticed two rather large fellows in suits staring at him.

"You know, it's considered impolite to enter someone's room without knocking," Danny informed them, placing his hands on his waist.

When the two continued to stare at him, he sighed and rolled his eyes, saying, "At least let me put some clothes on. You're making me feel – or I could just not." Danny scowled as the two grabbed his arms and led him through the hotel.

They pushed him through a pair of double doors, where he found Sam and Dean, as well as various other deities. Right on the money, Danno. I knew it was Pagans. He smirked triumphantly to himself, staring around at them all in their fancy suits and – in Kali's case – dress. After a moment, he said, "Now I feel really under-dressed."

The gods didn't respond, instead forcing him and the Winchesters into comfortable armchairs while they had their little meeting. One of the gods – Mercury – came up to him and stuck a needle into his neck, drawing blood into the syringe. Danny scowled, rubbing his neck as the wound healed itself.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming. Although in all my centuries, I never thought I'd see this. This many gods under one roof –" Baldur spoke.

"Gods?" Sam whispered to Dean.

"Now, before we get down to brass tacks, some ground rules. No slaughtering each other. Curb your wrath. Oh, and uh, keep your hands off the local virgins. We're trying to keep a low profile here -" the god continued.

Danny rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, "Well, if you were trying to do that, maybe you shouldn't be luring in mass amounts of people and then killing them."

"Now we all know why we're here. The Judeo-Christian apocalypse looms over us. I know we've all had our little disagreements in the past. The time has come to put those aside and look toward the future. Because if we don't, we won't have one. Now we do have three very valuable bargaining chips. Michael, and Lucifer's vessels, as well as the son of Lucifer himself. The question is, what do we do now? Anybody have any bright ideas? Speak up. This is a safe room," Baldur looked around at them all, oblivious to Danny's words.

Zao Shen, the Kitchen God, lord of all stoves, was the first to rise and speak in his native tongue, "What do we do? We kill them!"

"Oh, I don't like his tone," Dean said out of the corner of his mouth.

"He said they should kill us," Danny translated.

The elephant dude, Ganesh laughed at Zao Shen, saying, "Kill'em? What, so the angels can bring them back again?"

It was when Odin spoke that Danny was reminded just how ridiculous the old Norse religion was. He had to cover his mouth to smother up his laughter as the god spoke of some giant serpent and himself being eaten by a big wolf.

"Here we go," Zao Shen shook his head.

"Oh yeah? And why is that? Because your beliefs are so much more realistic? The whole world's getting carried around on the back of a giant turtle? Ha! Give me a break!" Odin laughed.

Danny felt his ribs crack from the pressure of being unable to laugh as Zao Shen replied with, "Don't mock my world turtle."

"What're you gonna do about it?" Odin rose from the table.

The two began to argue, prompting the two Winchesters to slowly rise from their seats and try to sneak away. Danny decided to stick around and enjoy the show – it wasn't every day that you saw a roomful of gods trying not to rip each other apart, after all. The two Winchesters didn't make it more than a few steps, when a chandelier crashed to the floor in front of them. Danny tilted his head to the side slightly, narrowly avoiding a shard of glass to the side of his face.

"Stay," Kali commanded them. The boys didn't move, and Kali stared at the rest of the gods in the room, saying, "We have to fight. The archangels - the only thing they understand is violence. This ends in blood. There is no other way, it's them, or us."

"With all due respect, ma'am, we haven't even tried talking to them," Mercury began, only to stop as he started choking up blood.

"Kali," Baldur reprimanded.

Kali stopped, glaring at Mercury as she said, "Who asked you?"

Behind him, Danny heard the doors open, and the voice of Gabriel say, "Can't we all just get along?"

Sam and Dean were about to say his name, when they started choking, unable to speak it. Danny raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side as he crossed his legs at the knee –being mindful of the towel he still wore. _Gabe?_ _What could he be doing here?_

"Sam! Dean ... It's always wrong place, worst time with you muttonheads, huh? And Danno, here I thought you had more sense – where are your clothes?" Gabe paused mid-sentence to ask.

"I got jumped right after getting out of the shower. And not in the fun, sexy kind of way either. Mind fixing me up?" Danny replied, standing up and turning to face him.

Gabriel smirked before snapping his fingers. Danny looked down to find himself wearing black pants, and a black t-shirt that said 'Child of Lucifer.' _Real funny, Gabe._ Danny rolled his eyes but didn't complain, responding with a simple 'thank you' before walking over to stand next to Sam and Dean.

"Loki," Baldur said, clearing a few things up for the vampire.

"Baldur. Good seeing you too. I guess my invitation got lost in the mail," the archangel said, striding further into the room.

"Why are you here?" Baldur questioned.

"To talk about the elephant in the room. Not you," Gabe said as Ganesh began to stand indignantly. After the elephant dude sat down, he continued, "The Apocalypse. We can't stop it, gang. But, first things first." He turned around to face the Winchesters and Danny, saying, "The adults need to have a little conversation. Check you later."

The archangel snapped his fingers and Danny found himself back in his hotel room. Danny blinked, slightly disoriented before grabbing his leather jacket off the bed and tossing it on, prepared to head back into the room once more. He twisted and pulled the doorknob, growing irritated when he found the door wouldn't open.

"The whole point of sending you out of the room was to make sure you stay out, dumbass," spoke a voice behind Danny.

Danny straightened up and turned around, spotting Gabriel lounging on his couch. Danny readjusted his jacket, slapping a cocky smirk on his face as he replied, "And miss the potential bloodshed? Perish the thought, Gabby."

"See, it's comments like that that make me confident that the other angels are wrong about you, Danny-boy."

"Wrong about what?" Danny frowned, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Wrong about you being Alistair. I mean, sure, you got the looks, you got the Grace – or part of it anyway. But your personality? Total opposite of Allie," Gabriel smirked, getting up and searching Danny's mini fridge.

"Maybe because I'm not him," Danny crossed his arms, leaning against the wall.

"Yeah, you're a giant bag of dicks," Gabriel agreed before grabbing a small bottle of champagne out of the fridge. He then turned around to face him, popping the bottle open as he said, "But, you could be. You could freeze this whole Apocalypse thing in its tracks if you release him."

Danny paused, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully as he fidgeted with his fingers. After a moment, he said in an offhand tone, "For arguments sake, let's say I decide to go through with it. How would I go about harnessing Alistair's power, exactly?"

Gabriel took a drink out of the bottle before shrugging and responding, "No clue, the only one who might know is Lucy. But, since we're trying to keep you away from him, I guess that means the plan is shot."

"Great," Danny rolled his eyes, walking over and taking the bottle from Gabriel. He flopped down on the couch, taking a swig from the bottle and sighing, "How long have you known?"

Gabriel sat down next to him, taking the bottle back and taking another drink out of it before responding, "About you and Allie? Since Chicago."

"And you kept it from me for 35 years because...?" Danny trailed off, feeling a mixture of betrayal and irritation at the archangel.

"You were an even bigger dick back then than you are now. Besides, I wasn't obligated to tell you a damn thing. That's your dear Papa's job," Gabriel answered with a shrug, bringing the bottle to his lips once again.

"Well, it would have been nice to have been forewarned, Uncle Gabby," Danny growled, yanking the bottle from the archangel's hand and taking a large gulp of its contents.

"I change my mind, you're still as big a dick now as you were back then. Now, hand over the bottle, kid," Gabe stated lunging for the bottle.

Danny moved away from him slightly, holding the bottle up high so he couldn't reach it. A wild smirk dashed across the vampire's face, mischief twinkling in his eyes. He scooted up onto the arm the couch, stretching the bottle up as high as he could whilst Gabriel tried to climb over him to reach his precious alcohol. They continued in that manner for quite some time - Danny keeping the bottle just out of reach, Gabriel desperately climbing on him to get it.

The game ended abruptly, however, when Gabriel vapored away. Danny frowned, staring at the spot where he had just been. He could have at least had the decency to talk to me in person. Still, it beats the whole 'fluttering away' thing that most angels do. He shrugged, taking a swig from the bottle and finishing it off. He scowled, glancing around the room for something to do. He spotted a magazine sitting on the bedside table, and was about to rise to get it, when he sensed it.

"Oooh, Daddy's home," Danny raised an eyebrow, torn between irritation and apprehension.

He heard screams coming from outside his room, as well as the sound of people exploding. He rolled his eyes, walking over to the bed and laying down on it, flipping the magazine over to a random page as he waited for his knight in shining douchery to free him from his hotel prison. He didn't have to wait long before the door blew open, and Lucifer stood there. Danny raised an eyebrow, tossing the magazine off to the side somewhere before rising to his feet.

He stared at Lucifer, hands on his hips as he said, "You could've knocked."

"Considering how close we are, I figured it would be a bit redundant. Love the shirt, by the way. Glad to see you're finally accepting your heritage," Lucifer smirked, walking further into the room.

Danny glanced down at his shirt briefly before looking back up at the archangel. He gave a small shake of his head, flipping the air out of his eyes before saying, "Not my wardrobe choice, to be perfectly honest. Shoulda seen me earlier – all exposed in front of a council of gods. Not even sure they should be called 'gods', but it makes them feel good about themselves."

"Not a fan of them either, I take it?"

"Well, they seem a lot more underwhelming when you realize there is a literal god of friggin' stoves sitting in the room with you," Danny replied in an off-hand tone.

"There's a god of stoves?" Lucifer asked in a tone of mixed disbelief and curiosity.

"He doesn't like it when you mock his world turtle," Danny informed him pleasantly, rocking on his heels.

"Riiight. Of course he doesn't," Lucifer replied, his tone betraying his amusement. After a moment of awkward silence, he clapped his hands and said, "So, are you going to come with me willingly, or will I have to force you?"

"There are so many dirty jokes I could make out of that sentence - I'm not sure where to begin," Danny admitted honestly. Lucifer merely smiled, raising an expectant eyebrow as Danny sighed and replied, "Fine. I've got nothing better to do with my time anyway."

Danny took a step forward, and stopped abruptly as Lucifer raised a hand for him to halt. The vampire raised an eyebrow at the archangel, who surveyed him with a mixture of skepticism and suspicion. After a minute of this, the Light Bringer finally asked, "You're not going to try and suck me again, are you?"

Danny snorted with laughter before he composed himself, narrowing his eyes slightly as he said, "Now you're just making dirty jokes on – " He paused, frowning slightly as he continued, "Son of a whore, we are related."

Lucifer merely smiled in a relatively smug manner before standing off to the side, gesturing with hands for Danny to proceed through the doorway. The vampire rolled his eyes before acquiescing and stepping over the remains of the door, Lucy following close behind. Danny glanced around at all the blood and gore splattered throughout the hall, raising an eyebrow at the archangel's handiwork. _If I didn't know better, I would've said I did this. Except that one._ He amended, nudging a corpse whose spine had been removed through its chest cavity. _I'll have to remember that one for later._

"Admiring my work, Danno?" Lucifer interrupted his thoughts.

"Making comparisons to my own, actually. Gotta say, the spine thing is pretty cool," Danny conceded.

"So, blood, guts, and gore don't bother you?" Lucifer clarified.

"No guts, no glory," Danny snickered, before sobering and saying, "Funnily enough, I used to be a pacifist in my younger years. Now, killing others has become something of a hobby of mine. I quite enjoy it."

Lucifer's eyes twinkled, intrigued by this bit of info. He was silent for a moment, processing this as he asked, "What changed your mind?"

"I took a shotgun to the chest and hung out with a bad crowd. Well, bad to other people. I quite liked them, to be honest," Danny replied in an offhand tone.

Lucifer stopped suddenly in his tracks, his eyes narrowing as he folded his arms across his chest. Danny, not hearing footsteps behind him, turned to face the archangel curiously. After asking why they stopped, Lucifer answered with, "You're being awfully... cooperative today. What's your game?"

"Truthfully?" Danny asked, and Lucifer nodded. Danny folded his arms, tapping his chin lightly as he replied, "I'd like to make it out of this whole shebang with my everything intact. See, there's a bitch back home waiting for me to brutally torture/kill her, and I'd rather not keep her waiting. If keeping the peace and doing what you say is what I need to do to accomplish that goal, so be it."

"So, your motivation for all this is revenge?" Lucifer clarified, a trace of disappointment in his tone.

"Oh, sweetheart, that's been my motivation for practically everything since 1950," Danny smirked.

"Uh-huh. And what about after you get your revenge? What will you do then?"

Danny was silent, staring at one of the corpses before looking back at Lucifer, his icy blue eyes sparking with a mixture of amusement and grave determination. Lucifer stared at him for a moment, startled as he caught onto what the vampire was saying – or, rather - wasn't saying.

"That's a little overdramatic, don't you think– "

"Don't we have places to go, gods to kill?" Danny interrupted him sharply, his tone clearly indicating that the conversation was over.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes as the vampire turned on his heel and continued down the hall. He was unable to help the amused smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth as Danny casually kicked a disembodied head through a wall and continued on his way, humming a small tune. Danny paused at the hallway leading to the ballroom, allowing Lucifer to go ahead of him and make his theatric entrance. He bit his lower lip, narrowing his eyes as he glanced down the other hallway, the one that led to the exit. _I could leave right now... but that would mean leaving Sam and Dean behind. But they can handle themselves, right?_ He groaned, banging his head against the nearest wall a couple times before following after Lucifer. _Loyalty is a pain in my sweet ass._

He opened the doors, raising an eyebrow as he observed Lucifer shoving his hand through Baldur's gooey bits. The two primordial beings looked at each other, the archangel stating, "No one gives us the right; we take it." He yanked his arm out of the god, tossing him to the ground with a disparaging look before turning to look at the Winchesters.

Danny vamped in front of the two brothers, his stance both defiant and protective as he stood in Lucifer's way. In the meantime, Kali decided to 'flame on' and shoot a blast of fire at Lucy. Sam and Dean hopped over the table to shelter themselves from the fire. Danny, however, was not so lucky. He stood there, frozen in fear as the fire came towards him, when he felt someone grab the collar of his shirt and yank him away. He looked up from his position on the floor, his gaze following the hand up to the face of Lucifer – who didn't spare him a glance.

Kali walked towards the two, Lucifer releasing Danny to uppercut her away. Were he not still in shock over his near-death-experience, Danny felt he probably would've made some snarky remark about treating a woman properly. However, all he could manage to do was sit on the floor as Lucifer approached the goddess, raising his foot as he prepared to curb stomp her into oblivion. He was, unfortunately, stopped when a force pulled him backwards through the double doors. Danny glanced at the archangel who stood in front of Kali bemusedly before turning his icy stare over to Lucifer, who was beginning to rise to his feet.

"Lucy, I'm home," Gabriel said, his face uncharacteristically serious.

Lucifer charged forward, prepared to finish his work when Gabriel stepped in front of him, holding the archangel blade up threateningly, saying, "Not this time." Lucifer watched, hurt flashing in his eyes as Gabe backed up slowly to help Kali back to her feet. Without turning around, he ordered the Winchesters to get her out – which they quickly did – leaving the two archangels and vampire alone.

"Over a girl? Gabriel, really? I mean, I knew you were slumming but I hope you didn't catch anything," Lucifer spoke, a disgusted look on his face.

"Says the guy who looks like he caught everything," Danny snorted.

"Oh, now you decide to talk," Lucifer rolled his eyes, not turning to look at him.

"I take my opportunities when I can get them," Danny shrugged, rising from his position on the floor.

There was silence between the three for a moment before Gabe finally said, "Lucifer, you're my brother, and I love you... But you are a great big bag of dicks."

Danny looked at him, slightly offended at the insult as Lucifer replied, "What did you just say to me?"

"Look at yourself. Boohoo. Daddy was mean to me, so I'm gonna smash up all his toys -"

"Watch your tone," Lucifer warned.

Danny grimaced, clapping his hands in front of him as he took a step forward and said, "He's not wrong, Luce – "

"Enough," Lucifer commanded, prompting Danny to raise his hands in surrender and back away slowly.

"Play the victim all you want but, you and me, we know the truth. Dad loved you best. More than Michael – more than me." _Poor Raphy gets no love._ Danny snickered to himself as Gabriel continued, "Then he brought the new baby home and you threw a big temper tantrum. Time to grow up." He gestured with the blade.

Danny hesitated before saying, "So, uh, this might be a bad time to ask but, uh, can I go now? I've got things to do, people to kill -"

"No," Lucifer replied sharply.

"Let the kid go, Lucifer. He's not Alistair, no matter how much you or I want him to be. Allie is dead and gone – the only resemblance this douchenozzle has to him is in appearance and Grace alone."

"That's what you think, Gabriel, but I know the truth. Alistair was too loyal to me to just let himself die without a way to come back. This boy is the key. Just give me some time and I can show you – " Lucifer took a step forward, stopping abruptly as his brother raised the blade higher.

"And let you try to corrupt him again? I don't think so," Gabriel snapped.

Danny was following them back and forth with his eyes, torn between curiosity and irritation at being compared to the archangel once more. No matter who he may or may not have been in the past – he was Danny now, not Alistair. Despite this, however, he felt the need to satisfy his curiosity. So, he stepped forward warily, asking, "What do you mean 'corrupt him'?"

"Allie was an innocent, naïve, pacifistic archangel – until Lucy here went all dark side and twisted his purpose to suit him," Gabriel began, glaring daggers at his brother.

"I never forced Alistair to do anything he didn't want to do – " Lucifer argued hotly.

"You stole his innocence!"

"Woah. Woah. Woah. Okay, forget I asked. Can we just get back to the previous topic? The one that didn't involve Allie-cat," Danny immediately cut in, not wanting to hear anymore. There were so many places his twisted mind could take Gabriel's sentence, he wasn't sure if he wanted to visit them yet, though.

The three stared at each other for a moment once more before Lucifer acquiesced to his request and began, "Gabriel, if you're doing this for Michael – "

"Screw him. If he were standing here, I'd shiv his ass too," Gabriel informed him.

"You disloyal – " Lucifer began again, gesturing at him fiercely.

"Oh, I'm loyal. To them." Gabe interrupted him again.

Guess now I know where I got my habit of interrupting Lucy and my unwavering sense of loyalty from. Danny sighed with some relief.

"To what? These so-called 'gods'?"

"To people, Lucifer. People," Gabriel responded, watching as Lucifer turned away from him slightly to make a face.

"You're willing to die for a pile of cockroaches? Why?"

"Because Dad was right. They are better than us."

"They are broken, flawed, abortions," Lucifer shouted back vehemently.

"Damn right they're flawed," Gabriel spared a glance at Danny as he continued, "But a lot of them try... to do better. To forgive. And you should see the Spearmint Rhino. I've been riding the pine a long time. But I'm in the game now, and I'm not on your side, or Michael's. I'm on theirs."

Lucifer shook his head, sadness and regret in his eyes as well as his tone as he softly said, "Brother, don't make me do this."

"No one makes us do anything," Gabe responded, stealing another, more meaningful glance at Danny.

 _'No one makes us do anything'. What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?_ Danny frowned, his eyebrows knitting together slightly in confusion. Lucifer either didn't see the look, or didn't care as he stated sadly, "I know you think you're doing the right thing, Gabriel. But I know where your heart truly lies."

Danny's eyes flickered briefly over Lucifer's shoulder, watching as a second Gabriel crept up behind him with the angel blade in hand. In that instant, time seemed to stop for the vampire. He saw Gabe raise the blade to strike, saw Lucifer turn and grab his arm, prepared to plunge it into his brother. Suddenly, Danny was between the two, and then the angel blade was between him and Gabriel, able to penetrate both their bodies. Lucifer's eyes widened in surprise as he quickly pulled the angel blade out, grabbing Danny before he could fall to the floor.

"I... told you... they're better than us," Gabriel managed to wheeze out before light poured out of his body, and the scorch marks of his wings were left upon the floor.

Lucifer's watery gaze turned away from his brother, going back to the vampire that was in his arms. Danny tried to rein in his rising panic as the blood continued to flow from the wound in his stomach. His hands desperately tried to staunch the flow of blood, but to no avail. Danny squeezed his eyes shut breathing heavily as he tried to block out the pain, opening them once more to see Lucifer staring down at him, his expression unreadable. After a moment, he held his wrist close to the vampire's mouth.

Danny looked at his wrist, feeling the veins appear beneath his eyes and his fangs elongate once more. He pulled the wrist closer before pausing, looking up at Lucifer as he said between gasps of pain, "You – you said that the angel Grace made me special. Can – can I touch people's souls?"

Lucifer didn't answer, his eyes narrowing calculatingly at the vampire. That was all the answer Danny needed. Gathering up the remainder of his strength, Danny plunged his hand into Lucifer's chest, squinting at the light that poured forth from him. Lucifer screamed in pain, as did Danny when he felt the burning sensation of angel Grace lick at his fingertips. Quickly, Lucifer yanked his hand out before tossing Danny across the room, staying on his hands and knees and panting.

Danny managed to roll over onto all fours, one hand still pressed tightly against his wound, the other supporting him. The room spun for a moment everything becoming blurry as he felt the blood leak from his body. He shook his head, trying to clear it. _Focus, Danny, you have to focus. You have to get out of here. Back to Mystic Falls. Back to Damon and Stefan. Back to Kare._ Danny squeezed his eyes shut at this last thought, desperately trying stay conscious, keeping his focus on her.

He was forced to open them once more, however, when he heard her voice, calling his name. He looked around, seeing the familiar dilapidated shack that was Bobby's house. With a small sigh of relief, he collapsed to the ground, feeling warm arms encircle him as everything faded to black.


	18. Chapter 18: Pestered to Death(Edited)

**Chapter 18: Pestered to Death**

 _March 10, 2010_

Everything was dark at first, empty and devoid of light. He panicked for a moment, wondering if he had suddenly gone blind. After a second, he realized that his eyes were still closed and relaxed slightly, allowing them to stay that way for a moment as he allowed the rest of his senses to take in his surroundings. His sense of touch alerted him that he was lying on a bed – one with springs, much to his irritation. However, it was the smell of booze and old people that really alerted him to where he was. _Definitely Bobby's place. But how did I – Gabriel!_

His eyes shot open as he sat up abruptly, pain flashing through his abdomen and lower back. He groaned, pressing a hand to his stomach as he felt the bandages there. _What the fuck? Why am I wearing…_ his thoughts trailed off as the events at Elysian Fields replayed themselves in his mind. He glanced down at his right hand, the hand that had brushed Lucifer's Grace. He could still faintly see angry red marks at the tips, and a soft glow seemed to come from his hand as the sunlight filtered through the window onto him. He opened and closed his hand a few times before looking around the bare room, debating whether or not he should leave.

He was saved from deciding for the moment when he heard a buzzing on the nightstand. He jumped slightly before turning and gingerly reaching for his phone. He stared at the caller ID, which read the name of the middle Salvatore. He paused for a moment, letting it ring before finally answering, pressing it to his ear as he laid back down onto his pillow.

"It's about damn time you answered the phone. I've been trying to reach you all week," came Damon's irritated voice.

Danny's brow furrowed, the confusion evident in his voice as he said, "All week? I've only been gone a couple days at most."

"No, it's been seven days. Where the hell have you been?"

Danny took a moment to process this before saying, "Apparently taking a really long nap after getting shish kebabed by Satan."

"Wait – you were what? Are you okay?" Damon asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Physically – maybe. Mentally and emotionally? That remains to be seen," he remarked dryly, pinching the bridge of his nose and giving a small sigh.

"Oh… well, I guess I should let you get back to your nap?"

"No, no - it's fine. Give me a rundown of what's been going on this last week," Danny sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

Damon proceeded to tell him about the events that had occurred in his absence. He spoke of confirming that Mason was a werewolf – trying to kill said werewolf, and then Mason ratting them out to the Sheriff. Danny was immediately alarmed at this, but managed to calm down once Damon explained that they had compelled her memories away. He then told the older Salvatore about Stefan and Elena's fake breakup to appease Katherine – since she was using Caroline to spy on them. Lastly, he informed Danny of the retrieval of the moonstone, Mason's death, him taunting Katherine, and Jenna being compelled to almost kill herself.

Danny was silent throughout most of this, staring out the window as Damon wrapped up his story. After a few seconds of silence, his brother finally asked, "Care to comment on what a screw up I am?"

"No, Damon. You made a mistake, and you learned from it. I've made my fair share of mistakes when it comes to Pierce." _And the consequences were more severe._ He finished silently before continuing, "Now you know to play things a little closer to the vest. Tempting as it might be to mock her and rub your victory in her face, you can't let her know you have the upper hand – at least, not until it's too late for her to do anything about it."

"Right, thanks, I'll remember that," Damon paused, an audible grimace in his tone as he continued, "By the way, I might've left out one tiny detail about Katherine that might piss you off." He paused again, waiting for response that didn't come before blurting out, "Katherine was in the house."

Danny was silent for a moment, processing this. He was angry – at least, he knew he should be. That bitch – the one being he hated more than anything in the universe – had been in his house. HIS house. The very idea should have sent him into a frothing rage but now… all he could manage to say was, "Okay."

"'Okay'? I just told you that your mortal enemy was in your house and that's all you can say? At least say something snarky or sarcastic," Damon replied with an audible eye roll.

"It's… been a rough time for me, Damon. I'm still processing getting shanked by Satan while trying to save my long-lost Uncle who died anyway. So, yeah, if you called me to hear some witty remark or something, try again next week or something. I- you know what? I don't have to explain anything to you. So, in the words of my good friend Dean: Eat me," Danny replied, a sharp edge to his voice as he hung up the phone.

He placed his phone on the nightstand before staring up at the ceiling, carefully trying to keep his mind blank – yet failing epically. _Gabe was an archangel, and I still couldn't save him. After everything I've been through – everything I've done – am I really still that weak? Have I truly learned nothing?_ He looked at his right hand again, tilting his head slightly at the barely noticeable glow that came from it. _And my hand, why is it still glowing? How did I get to Bobby's? … Where the fuck is my motorcycle?_

He ran a hand over his face once more, his head starting to hurt from all the questions. He was saved from thinking on them any further, however, when he started hearing angry yelling downstairs. _Dean?_ Danny identified him, his eyes sparking with thinly veiled interest. He sat up gingerly before swinging his legs over the bed, noting that he was only wearing a pair of lounge pants. He gave a small shrug before slowly rising to his feet, holding onto the headboard of the bed for support. He took a deep breath in, trying to ignore the pain as he made his way to the wall, leaning against it heavily as he made his way towards the door and out of the room. He shuffled down the hall, pausing every few steps to catch his breath before carefully making his way forward once more. After pausing at the top of the stairs, he sat down, deciding that walking down would not be the best mode of transportation. He delicately scooted his way down the stairs, standing up when he reached the bottom. He entered the living room, giving an awkward wave of his hand as Sam, Dean, Bobby, Kate, and Karen all stared at him.

"You should be resting," Karen spoke first, walking over and lightly touching his abdomen.

Danny waved away her concern, gently brushing a strand of hair from her face and giving a small smile before turning to others and saying, "What's new, Scooby-doo?"

"Sam wants to say yes to Satan," Dean immediately threw his brother under the bus.

Danny raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side in confusion before turning to look at Sam, and saying, "Explain."

The two told him about the four rings of the horsemen, how they could reopen Lucifer's cage. However, the snag in their plan was that once it was open, they couldn't expect him to just waltz right back into his eternal prison. That was when Sam had the oh-so-brilliant idea of letting Lucifer take over his body, and Sam could walk him in.

"…That is the dumbest idea I've ever heard. And you should hear half the shit my brother comes up with," Danny remarked from the couch that the girls had forced him onto halfway through the story.

Sam gave Danny his trademark 'bitch face' as he responded, "What makes it so stupid?"

"The fact that I don't think you possess the raw mental strength to keep Lucy out. Wait, hold up, I'm not finished," Danny raised his hand as Sam opened his mouth to argue. He waited for Sam to close his mouth and glare at him before continuing, "He's strong – almost strong enough to break through my wards. A human who has no training when it comes to shielding their mind? He'd snap you like a twig, Sammy."

"Then teach me," Sam argued.

"It's not something that I can teach, Sammy. I was just born with that ability, and it evolved over time," Danny paused for a moment, watching as Sam's face fell. He tapped his chin thoughtfully, an idea starting to form in his head. He hesitated briefly before slowly saying, "There might be a way we can strengthen your mind, however. It won't be the same method I used – and I'm not entirely sure it would work – but it's worth a shot if you want to try it."

"Is it dangerous?" Dean questioned, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Not physically, no. Mentally, however, I can't exactly say for sure," Danny shrugged as Karen began to unwrap his bandages to check on his wound.

"Well, don't keep us waitin'. What's this big idea of yours?" Bobby demanded.

"Compulsion."

"You want to manipulate my mind?" Sam asked incredulously.

"No, no absolutely not," Dean immediately stated.

"It'll only be small things at first – fetching me a drink, making moose noises when you talk – things like that. The way I see it, if you can get to a point where you can resist my compulsion, you might just have a chance of standing up to Lucy. You don't have to make a decision right now, but the sooner the better," Danny explained, glancing down as the final bandage came off.

There was a thin, white line just to the right and up of his navel. Like his hand, it was giving off a very faint glow. He imagined that his back was very similar. He grimaced slightly, wondering if those scars would be permanent, despite him being a vampire. He certainly hoped not. He didn't need a constant reminder that he was still too weak to protect his family – no matter how distant they may be. Despite only somewhat recently discovering that he and Gabriel were related, Danny had considered him family for a long time. They hadn't always been that way, of course. It was more of a student-teacher relationship at first that had evolved over time into what it was today. _Or, rather, what it used to be._ Danny reminded himself bitterly.

"Any word from Cassie?" Danny abruptly changed the subject, trying to steer his brain in a more productive direction than it was in.

"Yeah, he just called. He's in a hospital near Delacroix," Dean replied, eagerly latching onto the new topic.

"A hospital? Why would he be in a hospital?" Danny questioned, his eyebrows knitting in confusion.

"Apparently, his batteries are drained. So, he's a human now."

Danny was silent, processing this information for a moment. _Cassie is a human now? He's in a hospital? Delacroix… shit, that's not too far from New Orleans._ He sighed, running his left hand over his face before standing up slowly, saying, "I'll go get him."

"You're not going anywhere. You're still recovering," Karen objected.

"And Cas isn't? Look, the guy went from 'angel almighty' to 'ass-scratching human' in the span of a coma. He's probably confused – maybe even a little scared – and I'll be damned before I let him go through that alone. I owe him too much," Danny replied, a note of finality in his tone.

He paused, glancing around the room before spotting a black shirt in a trash can. He fished it out, his eyes carefully examining the shirt Gabriel had given him. He ran his thumb over the hole in the front, skimming over the large amount of his own blood that was dried onto it. He touched the line on his stomach, feeling a small tingle run through his fingers as he did so.

Danny looked up, his gaze sparking with defiance and determination as he said, "I'm going to get him."

 _I won't fail you, Cas. Not like I failed Gabe._

* * *

After a long argument from Karen – as well as being filled in on what was going down with Pestilence – Danny made a plan to fetch Cas before meeting up with the Winchesters to take him down. The only problem was: how was he supposed to drive across the country, grab Cas, and then make it back in time to help the boys? Considering the fact that he didn't have his motorcycle, Danny knew his options were severely limited. He did, however, have an idea of what might be able to speed the process up.

From the time he had woken up, he could still feel a small thrumming of power in the hand that had touched Lucifer's Grace. He wasn't sure how much power it would take to get him all the way to where Cas was, but he figured there was no harm in trying. He quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a black short-sleeved button down he had borrowed from the Winchesters before stepping outside Bobby's house.

He rubbed his hands together, taking a deep breath and blowing out slowly. He rolled his shoulders, shaking his arms before tilting his head from side to side, popping his neck. He closed his eyes before pressing his right hand on his chest, over the spot where he was told his soul was. He focused on Cas, focused on pulling the power from his hand and through the rest of his body. He felt a burning sensation spread over him, causing him to grit his teeth in pain as he continued to focus on Cas. There was a squeezing sensation around him, then the feeling of being pulled. Suddenly he found himself falling, landing face down on something that gave a small groan of pain. He opened his eyes, giving a bemused smile as he saw Cas underneath him.

"This is not how I pictured our first time in bed," Danny remarked dryly, rolling off the bed and onto the floor, groaning a little as he landed face down once more.

"Daniel. How did you get here?" Castiel questioned, ignoring his remark as he sat up in his bed.

Danny reached up to grab the rail on the bed, pulling himself up onto his knees with a small grunt. He gave a small smile, saying, "I teleported."

"You – "

"Long story. Suffice it to say, I flipped the script on the whole 'being touched by an angel' thing," Danny smirked, finally managing to pull himself to his feet.

Castiel narrowed his eyes at him, confusion evident in his tone as he asked, "Why did you come here?"

"I do what I can for family. Besides, owed you one for getting Kare out of Mystic Falls and saving my ass," Danny clapped Cas on the shoulder, smiling widely when the angel groaned in pain.

"To be fair, I owed you for Famine – " Cas began, only to stop when Danny held up a hand.

"Let's not talk about that. Besides, we have places to go, Horsemen to disarm, yada yada yada," he rolled his eyes.

He helped pull Cas out of the bed, allowing the former angel to lean against him for support. He swiftly led him to a nearby chair, settling him in it before glancing around the room and stepping out the door. He stopped a nurse walking by and, with a little compulsion, managed to find out where they were keeping Castiel's clothes. After retrieving them, he made his way back to the room, pausing when he entered it at the sight of his pained friend. With a small sigh, he placed the clothes on the bed before grabbing the small glass of water that was on the tray table. He quickly chugged it before flicking the excess droplets on the floor carelessly. He then bit into his wrist, letting the blood flow into the glass before holding it out to Cas, who was looking at him in confusion and mild disapproval.

"Oh, don't give me that look, Cassie. We're about to face a Horseman that could kill a healthy person with any number of diseases – and you look like you could be done in by the sniffles, at the moment. So, man up, and drink your go juice, Fluffy," Danny rolled his eyes, shoving the glass into Cas' hands.

Castiel stared at the glass before staring back at him. Danny looked back, raising an eyebrow at him while Cas frowned in response. After a few minutes passed in their staring contest, Castiel finally brought the cup to his lips and drank, grimacing slightly as he did so. With a small smile, Danny clapped on the shoulder, taking the empty glass from him as the wounds began to heal.

"Why did you call me 'Fluffy'?" Castiel questioned after a moment.

"There's a multitude of reasons. They range from you reminding me of an adorable fluffy puppy, to the obvious – fluffy wings. Now, get dressed, we've got a bus to catch. I'll fill you in on the details of what you've missed out on on the way," Danny explained with a small smirk before walking into the bathroom to rinse out the cup.

When he had finished, he stared at his reflection in the mirror for a moment, allowing egotistical thoughts about his appearance to float through his mind for a brief second. He then looked down at his right hand, noting that the glow was gone, and it seemed to be back to normal. He didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed at this. He gave a small shrug before lifting up his shirt, staring at the now permanent scar that resided there. He brushed it lightly with his fingers, relieved that it too had lost its glow.

He pulled down his shirt before turning back to the mirror, running his hands through his hair to make sure it still had that messy look. He took a brief moment to acknowledge that he needed a small trim – _and maybe a shave_ , he added as an afterthought, stroking the stubble on his face. _Nah, it goes good with the smolder, I'll keep it._ He smirked, before turning around and exiting the bathroom.

Cas was readjusting his loose tie when Danny strolled into the room. Nodding briefly to each other, they walked out of the room and through the hospital, exiting the building. They sat down on the bench at the nearby bus stop, a comfortable silence falling between them. They didn't have to wait long until the bus arrived and they took their seats in the very back – Danny paying for their tickets. It was only when they had settled into their seats and made sure that no one was close enough to listen in that Castiel began the conversation.

"What did I miss?"

"Long story short: we dropped in on a meeting of Pagan Gods. Lucy stopped in and shivved me and Gabriel. Guess which one of us made it," Danny replied, the humor leaving his voice at his last sentence.

"Gabriel is dead?" Cas confirmed, his eyes wide with surprise as Danny nodded in response. There was a small pause as Castiel processed this before commenting, "I'm surprised Luci – I mean, uh..." Castiel paused at Danny's look, trying to figure out a way to say Lucifer's name without saying it. He finally settled on, "I'm surprised the fallen archangel would willingly harm you."

"It was an accident. I sort of jumped in the way – fat load of good that did," Danny sighed in response. He took a second to collect himself before continuing, "Anyway, I was injured – and didn't see many options regarding escaping the joint. A thought then occurred to me – if angel blood makes me stronger, what would touching an angel's Grace do?"

"You didn't."

"I did. It wasn't for very long –damn near burned my fingers off, though. But I managed it, and somehow found myself at Bobby's place – where I was apparently comatose for a whole week while my wounds healed," the vampire responded.

"... Do you feel any... different after touching his Grace?" Castiel asked hesitantly.

Danny was silent, staring out the window as he pondered the question. After a minute of gathering his thoughts, he finally managed to articulate, "I feel... more connected to him, I suppose. It's hard to explain... it's like, I know he's supposedly the big bad douchebag that we have to get rid of – but part of me feels like he's suffered enough, y'know?"

"You feel sympathy for the Devil?" Cas narrowed his eyes accusingly.

"Yes," Danny replied unashamedly. He then further expounded with, "He loved his father more than anything in the world – more so even than his brothers. Then, Papa decides to bring home the retard baby that is humanity, and he's supposed to immediately love humans more than his own father? He's supposed to kneel before a race of individuals that has done more harm to this world than good? He disobeyed one order – refusing to love others more than his family. And for that, he was cast out of Heaven and then shoved in a cage for a few millennia – how the fuck is that fair, Cas?"

Castiel was silent for a few seconds, thinking over the vampire's words before carefully asking, "If you feel that way about him, why are you helping us to get the keys to lock him up?"

"He killed Gabriel – his own brother. For that alone, I'm shoving his ass back in the cage for another century or two. Dude needs to chill the fuck out," Danny replied with a small shrug, turning to look out the window once more and ending the conversation for the time being.

* * *

Cas and Danny finally arrived at their destination – Serenity Valley Convalescent Home. Danny narrowed one eye upon arrival, his lips pursed slightly as he surveyed the building with equal amounts of trepidation and suspicion. He then closed his eyes, focusing his hearing on wherever the Winchesters might be located. After a moment, he found them – apparently not in the best of health in the presence of Pestilence. He nodded to Castiel, jerking his head toward the building before grabbing the man-angel's wrist and vamping inside. They stopped a few feet from the door, allowing Cas to reorient himself with his surroundings, and giving Danny time to prepare for their dramatic entrance.

"Now... On a scale of 1 to 10, how's your pain?" Spoke the voice of an older gentleman from inside the room.

Danny took that opportunity to kick open the door, Cas coming up directly beside him as he did so. Without missing a beat, the vampire responded to the question with, "Let's reevaluate after I shove my foot so far -"

"Cas, Danny," Dean groaned from his position on the floor.

"Oh, hi, Dean," Danny smiled, waving his fingers at the man.

"How'd you get here?" Pestilence questioned.

"We took a bus," Castiel responded, beginning to walk further into the room. "Don't worry, I –" The man was cut-off abruptly, falling to the floor, coughing up blood.

Danny looked at him, alarm flashing across his face for a brief second before he schooled his features. He deftly pulled his knife from its sheath on his right side, twirling it experimentally behind his back. He gave a small nod to Cas, signaling he was ready whenever he was.

"Well, look at that. An occupied vessel, but powerless. Oh, that's fascinating. There's not a speck of angel in you, is there?" Pestilence commented, his gaze flicking over to Danny briefly as he continued in a curious tone, "You don't seem to be affected."

Danny gave a small shrug and a wild smirk as he replied, "Hard to make someone sick if they're already dead." He then swiftly threw the knife to Cas, who caught it and cut off the Horseman's ring finger as well as his pinky.

The Horseman began to scream in agony as Castiel responded, "Maybe just a speck."

The demon accompanying Pestilence yelled, lunging for Cas. Danny quickly grabbed her, putting her in a headlock and giving his friend the time he needed to recover and stab the creature. As her body glowed and convulsed, the vampire dropped her, rubbing his hands on his shirt to get the gross feeling of demon off. Dean and Sam both rose to their feet, the older of the two rushing over to pick the ring up off the table.

"It doesn't matter. It's too late," Pestilence said ominously, before abruptly disappearing.

"... He couldn't have waited one second for me to respond before he poofs away? What a dick," Danny sighed dramatically.

The brothers looked at him, raising their eyebrows before glancing at each other. Dean carefully put the ring in his pocket as Sam said, "You seem... a little better."

"I've decided to channel my grief and pain into something more productive – shoving Lucy's ass back in prison," Danny shrugged, retrieving his knife from Cas and flipping it in his hands a few times before sheathing it.

* * *

The four of them arrived at Bobby's by the time morning rolled around. Three of them were glum, tired, and downright depressing to be around. Danny, however, was not. He considered getting the ring to be a victory, despite the Horseman's ominous words. Sure, he figured he should be worried about what sick old guy's plan was, but he also reasoned that worrying and fretting about it wouldn't get anything done. So, he decided to keep an upbeat attitude about the whole thing – though the lack of the mischievous gleam that was usually in his eyes hinted otherwise.

They informed the older hunter about everything that had occurred with Pestilence their voices monotone throughout the narrative. Bobby, in turn, informed the rag–tag group about Death's approach towards Chicago – which Danny suggested they just let burn to the ground. The other three – Kate was upstairs feeding the twins - were unamused, prompting the vampire to hold up his hands in surrender before remaining silent in his seat – his front facing the back of the chair – twiddling his thumbs in a bored manner. Sam then asked the big question: how did the old man put all that together?

"I had, you know ... Help," he answered reluctantly, causing Danny to narrow his eyes at him suspiciously.

There was a clang behind them, and the group turned around to see Crowley pouring himself a glass of whatever alcohol Bobby had in the kitchen. Danny's hand subconsciously drifted toward his knife as the King of the Crossroads spoke, "Don't be so modest. I barely helped at all." He walked closer towards the room as Dean turned to look at Bobby, who rolled his eyes. The demon then continued, "Hello, boys. Pleasure, et cetera." He took a sniff of the liquid before setting it down on the table disdainfully, smirking as he said to Bobby, "Go ahead, tell them. There's no shame in it."

"Bobby? Tell us what?" Sam asked, his tone indicating he already had an idea of what the old hunter did.

Bobby and Crowley had a little stare down, adding to the already palpable tension in the room. The silence was soon broken when Bobby said, somewhat reluctantly, "World's gonna end. Seems stupid to get all precious over one little... Soul."

"You sold your soul?" Dean demanded angrily.

"Oh, more like pawned it," Crowley informed.

"Because that makes everything loads better, dunnit? Do you have any idea how much a soul is worth, Bobby-boo? It has the power of a hundred suns – and you pawned it away for information we could have easily gathered ourselves when we got back," Danny told the hunter, his British undertones becoming more pronounced in wake of his growing irritation.

"If I wanted a bootless fact about souls, I would've asked for it, Captain Useless," Bobby snapped back in return.

Danny didn't let the hurt show, instead rolling his eyes and shrugging as Crowley said, "I fully intend to give it back."

"Well, give it back!" Dean demanded.

"I will." Crowley responded calmly.

"Now!"

"Did you kiss him?" Sam questioned, causing Danny to raise his eyebrows and look at Crowley expectantly.

"Sam!" Dean reprimanded as Crowley took out his phone and began to type.

"Just wondering," Sam said as the two brothers turned to Bobby.

Bobby was silent for a moment before giving an indignant, "No!" It was at that moment that Danny's phone buzzed. He took it out, openly smirking at the picture he got from Crowley. The demon cleared his throat, holding up his own phone to show them the picture of him and Bobby kissing while Danny did the same. "Why'd you take a picture, and why'd you send it to him?"

"Why'd you use tongue?" Crowley countered.

"You. Delete it. Now," Bobby ordered Danny.

The vampire rolled his eyes, smirking as he stuffed it in his shirt pocket and said, "Can't, I'm so useless I can't even delete a simple photo. Please try again later when you're willing to be less of a dick."

"All right. You know what? I'm sick of this. Give him his soul back now," Dean intervened before Bobby could retaliate, standing up and walking toward Crowley.

"I'm sorry, I can't."

"Can't or won't?"

Danny tuned out the rest of the conversation, already understanding the general gist of what Crowley was trying to say. He wouldn't return Bobby's soul – not while holding onto it was the only thing keeping him from being killed on sight by the Winchesters. Though he knew he couldn't say it out loud, Danny felt that the demon made a good point.

He was jolted out of his thoughts by the sight of a glass in front of his face. He followed the hand upward, seeing Crowley leaning against Bobby's desk. He slowly took the glass from the demon, glancing around and noting that everyone else had left the room. He sniffed the contents cautiously before taking a small sip, sighing in contentment.

"So, we're square, right? I mean, I know the whole 'shooting Satan' thing didn't pan out the way it was supposed to. But I did what you asked me to," Danny inquired, taking another sip of what he could now identify as Craig.

"Put the Devil back in his cage, then we'll call it even," Crowley responded after a second of thought.

"Fair enough," Danny shrugged, clinking his glass against Crowley's and swallowing the remains with a hiss of approval.

The two sat in an uncomfortable silence for a what seemed like an eternity to the oldest Salvatore. He was actively avoiding staring at Crowley directly – not wanting to see the grotesque mask of darkness that was the demon's true face. Meanwhile, the King of the Crossroads simply stared at him, his gaze narrowed and thoughtful as he silently drank from his glass.

Unable to take it anymore, Danny finally said, "Look, I know I'm handsome and all, but it's rude to stare like that."

"Get over yourself. I've seen better looking people in a leper colony," Crowley rolled his eyes.

"Your pants are on fire, Crowley," the vampire snickered before continuing with, "What's on your mind?"

"Oh, nothing. Just curious as to how someone like you managed to survive a confrontation with the Devil himself – twice in fact. The Winchesters, I can understand. You, not so much."

"I think Satan has the hots for me," Danny replied with a small shrug.

Crowley rolled his once more at that statement, taking a long drink from his glass. After he was done, he then said, "Fine, keep your secrets. I'll find out eventually."

"You do that."

With that, Danny rose from his chair, thanking Crowley for the drink before exiting the room. He walked out of Bobby's house, nodding to Sam and Dean on his way through the scrap yard. After leaving the yard behind, he made his way through the town, headed for the high school. Upon reaching it, he glanced down at his nonexistent watch before groaning in boredom. Leaning against the sign, he closed his eyes with a small hum, exhaling through his nostrils. Folding his arms across his chest, he began typing out a tune on his arm, his foot tapping to unheard music.

Hearing the sound of a bell, he turned his head and opened his eyes to face the school, watching as students swarmed out. He searched the crowd with narrowed eyes, looking for a familiar head of blonde hair. It didn't take long before he spotted her, and she spotted him. She moved her way through the crowd, murmuring many apologies as she did so. Soon enough, she was standing in front of him, arms folded over her chest and an eyebrow raised.

"Guess you survived," she noted dryly.

"It takes a lot to put me down, sweetheart," Danny smiled widely, gesturing for them to start walking.

"So, what's the plan?" Karen questioned, falling into step beside him.

"Our next target is Death. He's in Chicago, so we'll head for there next."

"I'm coming with you," she stated, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"I figured you'd say something like that. Which is why I have another task for you," Danny informed her lightly, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Oh? And what's this 'big important task' supposed to be, Mr. Salvatore?" Karen asked skeptically.

Danny cringed slightly at the name before shrugging it off, saying, "When we beat Pestilence, he heavily implied that he had some sort of back-up plan in motion. For the most part, I brushed it off – I just thought he was being a sore loser and wanted to spoil our victory. Then, I remembered something important: he's not just working by himself, he's also working with Lucy."

"So, you want me to sabotage a plan that may or may not exist?"

"Yep."

"This isn't some plan to sideline me, is it?"

"Let's be honest here, Kare, you'd probably find some way to get involved anyway, even if I was trying to sideline you – which I'm not," Danny smirked, looking down at her knowingly.

Karen simply gave him an unashamed grin in return, snuggling closer to his side as they walked. They soon arrived at Bobby's, where Danny's suspicions were confirmed. Pesty's little back-up plan was for the mass production and shipment of the Croatoan virus under the guise of a swine flu vaccine. With that knowledge, the group made a pretty simple plan: divide and conquer. Kate was mildly pissed off to find that she was being sidelined – again. Much as she loved her sons, hunting was her life – it was the only thing she felt she was good at. With everything important going on, she couldn't do anything but sit and wait for news.  
Bobby – who had regained the use of his legs thanks to Crowley – would go with Sam, Cas and Karen to stop the virus from leaving the warehouse. Meanwhile, Dean, Danny and Crowley would head for Chicago to confront Death – with the help of the Horseman's trusty scythe. Danny was a little skeptical about that part. _If it's Death's scythe, why would it betray its master for a couple of good-looking schmucks and a Crowley?_

Despite his sense of trepidation and mild apprehension, the vampire decided to go along with the half-thought out plan and jump into the front seat with Dean. _Usually, people run from Death. I guess we're the crazy bastards who chase it._ Danny mused as Dean pulled out of the scrap yard.

* * *

The trio made it to Chicago without incident – unless you count Danny threatening Crowley multiple times after the demon wouldn't stop yammering. _And I thought I liked to hear myself talk. This guy takes it to a whole other level._ The vampire thought with a roll of his eyes as he stepped out of the car and stretched. He popped his neck, watching as Dean and Crowley made their way toward a warehouse surrounded by reapers. The two stood around for a bit before Crowley abruptly disappeared, returning seconds later to inform them that Death had left the building. After a bit of yelling from Dean, the two of them got back into the car and drove into town, stopping across the street from a pizzeria.

Crowley got out once more before, looking inside the place before popping back into the car and informing them that Death was inside. After the King of the Crossroads proceeded to bail on them, the remaining duo made their way to the backside of the restaurant, hoping to take the Horseman by surprise. Upon entering the building, they noticed an assortment of dead bodies littering the place – with only one person remaining at a table. With a glance at each other and a small nod, the two crept closer, trying to remain as silent as possible. The silence didn't last, however, as Dean dropped the scythe and it clattered to the floor before zooming away to lay next to Death.

"Thanks for returning that," the man spoke, pausing before continuing, "Join me, boys. The pizza's delicious."

The boys looked at each other, silently asking if this was really happening. Danny shrugged before walking over to another table. He pursed his lips at the dead person sitting in the chair he was about to take before slowly pushing the large gentleman off with his foot. He swung the chair towards Death's table, the front of the chair facing towards him as he sat down. Crossing his arms over the top of his chair, Danny rested his chin on his forearms as Death asked Dean to sit, commenting on how long it had taken the two to find him, and that he had been wanting to talk to them.

"I gotta say, I have mixed feelings about that," Dean admitted before hesitantly asking, "S-so is this the part where...where you kill me?"

"Dean, you don't just ask people to kill you while they're eating pizza. That's just rude," Danny smirked with a roll of his eyes, giving a sidelong glance at Death as he did so.

Death set down his utensils, looking up at the both of them carefully. After a moment of silence, he finally said, "You have an inflated sense of your importance. To a thing like me, a thing like you, well..." He paused to take a sip of his drink before continuing, " Think how you'd feel if a bacterium sat at your table and started to get snarky."

Danny narrowed his eyes sharply, feeling a little insulted as Death continued belittling them. After stating that he found the two insignificant, Danny managed to say, "Your master doesn't seem to agree with that statement – at least in regards to me anyway."

"Oh? And what makes you say that?" Death questioned curiously.

"Because I'm not the bitch on a leash," Danny smirked, ignoring Dean glaring at him to shut up.

Death was silent for a moment, his face carefully blank and void of any emotion as he finally said, "I get the distinct impression that not many people like you."

"Hazards of being an arrogant jackass," Danny responded flippantly, not letting Death know that his words stung a bit.

He stayed silent for the remainder of the conversation, figuring he probably shouldn't talk, lest he make Death angry enough to kill them both. Granted, he wasn't sure if the Horseman could kill him since he was already technically dead – but he wasn't going to test that theory. After a bit of chitchat, Death finally handed over the ring and told them how to use the rings to unlock the Cage and shove Lucifer back in. His only condition being that Sam had to let Lucy ride him in.

 _We're so close to taking Lucy down. All we need is for Sam to beat him._ Danny thought, a trickle of excitement and anxiety running down his spine.


	19. Chapter 19: Carry On(Edited)

**Chapter 19: Carry On**

 _March 17, 2010_

The plan had been simple: Sam says yes to Lucifer, jumps in the hole, and everyone else lives happily ever after. Unfortunately for Team Free Will, nothing ever seemed to go according to plan. Lucifer had been well aware of their plan from the very beginning – even seeming to find it a touch amusing. Upon jumping into Sam's body, he had disarmed the rings, taking them with him as a souvenir.

 _That's not the only souvenir he brought with him_. Danny thought grimly, rattling the chains on his wrist that tethered him to the ceiling tiredly. He was exhausted at this point. His hair was practically slicked down on his head, dripping with sweat. His entire body was sore, though there were no visible injuries on his body. He groaned slightly in pain as he moved his feet to stand beneath him, rather than allowing the chains to hold him up. He rolled his eyes at the nearby demons who had jolted slightly and took a few steps toward him at his movement.

He exhaled through his nose in a small sigh, gritting his teeth irritably at the muzzle attached to his face, keeping him from biting anyone – specifically Lucifer. _How do I get myself into these situations? Why couldn't I have just stayed out of it and let the Winchesters handle everything? Why did I have to start up hunting anyway?_ He sighed once more, lolling his head back, wishing he had a wall to lean against. He knew why he started this – knew when all this began. His fate had been sealed the moment he had walked into that bar almost 35 years ago.

 _March 18, 1975_

 _It was around 10 pm at a little bar called Bucket O' Suds in Chicago. The interior was that of your typical bar – dimly lit, wooden floors, booths, pool tables, darts, and filled with the smell of cigarette smoke and the raucous laughter of biker dudes and truckers. There were two men, however, who fell into neither of these categories. The two sat at opposite ends of the bar, one closer to the pool tables, the other was closer to the wall, as far from everyone else as he could get._

 _The man by the wall quietly sipped his bourbon, already bored of the place as he carefully twisted his glass in his hands. He heard the small tinkling of a bell, signaling the arrival of another person. The smell of perfume that hit his nostrils alerted him that it was a female, the clacking of heels drawing closer to him were an even bigger tip off._

 _"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" The woman asked, smiling at the man flirtatiously._

 _"Not that I'm aware of," the man replied tonelessly, not even sparing the woman a glance as he ordered another drink._

 _The woman smiled, letting her hand brush his as she sat down. He didn't pull away, instead choosing to ignore her existence as he tried to relax his tensed muscles. The woman took this as an invitation to scoot closer, their arms touching as she smiled at the man who continued to stare into his glass._

 _"I'm Margaret. What's your name, handsome?" The woman asked, running her fingers along the back of the man's right hand._

 _The man paused, tapping the side of his glass thoughtfully before taking a drink and responding, "Danny."_

 _Margaret continued smiling, reaching up a hand to brush Danny's dark hair from his face. His hand reached up swiftly, grabbing her wrist before her fingertips got close. He took another sip of his drink before releasing her, still not glancing in her direction. He could feel her staring at him, as well as another pair of eyes from the other end of the bar. He didn't feel the need to see who was glaring at him, instead calling to the bartender for another drink._

 _"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable – " Margaret began slowly._

 _"You didn't," Danny cut her off abruptly, taking his drink from the bartender with a small nod._

 _"Then why did you...?" she trailed off as he finally turned to her, his face void of any emotion, his icy blue eyes cold and unamused._

 _"I'm going to make this as abundantly clear as possible: I'm not interested. Go flirt with someone else," Danny replied coldly, turning away from her._

 _The man on the other side of Margaret turned to look at them, surprised that Danny would turn down someone who, in his opinion, was quite pretty. A thought seemed to dawn on him as his face morphed into mild disgust and rage. He slammed his beer bottle down before standing up, readjusting his belt, and walking between the two._

 _"Not interested? What are you, some kinda queer?" the redneck asked, leaning on the bar between the two._

 _Danny didn't spare the man a glance, instead choosing to ignore the ignorant prick. The man, not getting the reaction he wanted, became enraged. He began spouting every single homophobic thing that popped into his head – no doubt learned from his Sunday school classes when he was a wee lad._

 _"Hey, faggot, I'm talking to – " the man was cut off with a sharp gasp of pain._

 _While he had been talking, he had put his hand on Danny's shoulder. The vampire had immediately grabbed his hand and twisted it sharply, almost snapping it in two. His eyes as he glared at the man were like sharp pinpricks of glass – cold and calculating. After a moment, his lips twitched upward slightly, an idea forming in his head. He locked eyes with the homophobe, turning on his compulsion for what he was about to say next._

 _"You are going to find the biggest, burliest, most terrifying man you can find in this bar and you are going to kiss him. After he's done beating your scrawny ass, you're then going to pick up my tab, as well as whatever Margaret chooses to order. Are we clear?" Danny ordered. The man nodded, his eyes a bit unfocused. Danny released him abruptly, shoving him away and saying, "Get moving."_

 _As the man walked away to do as he was told, Danny rose to his feet, nodding to the bartender once more before walking towards the door. As his hand touched the doorknob, he heard the audible smacking sound of a fist meeting someone's face. Danny's lips twitched once more before he exited the building. He stopped for a moment, breathing in the Chicago air before putting his hands in his pockets, prepared to walk back to his car._

 _"How did you do that?" A snarky sounding voice spoke from behind him._

 _"Do what?" Danny questioned, whirling about to face the man._

 _He was short, with brown hair and eyes. His face could only be described as one that you would find on a troublemaker, or a trickster. Danny tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowing slightly as he noticed an odd glow coming from the man. It wasn't the same glow that a witch or vampire would have. It was more... not of this world._

 _"You know what. How did you convince that douchebag to go all kissy face on the big biker dude?" the man raised an eyebrow, a small smirk on his face._

 _"Just that persuasive I suppose."_

 _"Don't bullshit me, kid. I know you're not human, so out with it."_

 _Danny paused his eyes narrowed slightly as he replied, "Compulsion. I'm a vampire. What are you? You're too glowy to be anything I've ever come across."_

 _"You can call me Gabriel," the man smiled, evading the question._

 _"You mean like the archangel?" Danny raised an eyebrow, a smirk curling up onto his face as Gabriel's face fell._

 _He bounced back immediately, smiling as he said, "You're a sharp one, kid, I'll give you that. I think you'll be perfect for a little job I have for you."_

 _"Oh? And what might that be?" Danny asked skeptically._

 _"Have you ever heard of a hunter?"_

Danny was jolted out of his memories as pain wracked his entire being. He tightened his grip on his chains, gritting his teeth as he squeezed his eyes shut from the light that poured from his chest. He felt a hand being removed from his chest, prompting him to double over and pant heavily, sweat pouring from everywhere. His eyes flickered up to Lucifer – currently wearing his Sam suit – who was clenching and unclenching his hand experimentally.

"You're holding up nicely. We're almost done," he commented with a small smile.

"Yippee skippy for me. What do I win?" Danny panted.

"Me."

"Can I do returns?"

"You say such hurtful things sometimes," Lucifer rolled his eyes, taking out a rag and wiping his hands with it.

"My apologies for not doing so more often," Danny shot back irritably.

"Someone's in a bad mood," the archangel commented dryly.

"You would be too if you were chained up and constantly being penetrated by Satan."

"See, it's things like that that make me wonder what's going on in that twisted head of yours - when you're not in your safe space, I mean," Lucifer commented, tapping his chin and giving Danny a sideways glance.

"Sexy jazz music and an ass ton of bourbon," Danny replied, not skipping a beat.

"Sounds about right," Lucifer shrugged, smirking slightly.

The two stared at each other silently for a moment. Lucifer's expression was that of mild amusement and subtle excitement. Danny's, however, was blank, empty, with subtle hints of exhaustion. The vampire huffed, jerking his head to the side in an attempt to get the tips of his sweaty hair out of his eyes. Lucifer tilted his head to the side before snapping his fingers and holding out a hand. A demon quickly approached him, carrying a bottle of red liquid and a straw. Sticking the straw in the bottle, the Devil approached Danny, sliding the straw between the little bars in his muzzle. Danny immediately latched onto it, furiously gulping the blood down as though it were his last meal.

"What is it that you hope to accomplish here, exactly?" Danny questioned after Lucifer had pulled the empty bottle away.

Lucifer was silent for a moment, his expression thoughtful – as though debating how much to tell the vampire. Deciding that telling Danno couldn't hurt, he finally said, " I'm trying to reunite your Grace with your soul." He paused as Danny gave him a perplexed look before explaining, "See, Nephilim have both angelic Grace and a human soul – fused together within their bodies. It's what makes them one of the most powerful beings out there. You, however, were born with your Grace and soul separated from each other. Consuming angel blood or touching another's Grace seems perk up your angel bits, allowing you some access to our abilities. Once that power source runs out, your abilities go dormant, and you become normal again – well, as normal as a psychotic homicidal vampire can be."

Danny was silent after that, processing everything that Lucifer had said. _Did Cas know about this?_ He frowned, thinking back to the last time they had seen each other.

 _He and Cas were in the backseat of the Impala, Sam and Dean in the front. They were driving to Detroit, prepared to storm Lucifer's proverbial castle. Castiel had fallen asleep, his head falling onto Danny's shoulder in his sleep. The vampire's lips twitched upward slightly at this before he started frowning at the man's soft snores. Well, soft to a normal person. To a vampire like Danny – whose senses were heightened well beyond that of any human – it sounded like an earthquake and a tornado mixed together._

 _He moved a finger just under Castiel's head, pushing it up before releasing, letting it flop back onto shoulder. He pursed his lips slightly, an idea forming in his head. Taking out his phone, he used the camera on it to take a picture, setting the photo as the lock screen on his phone._

 _"Danny?" Came Sam's voice from the front seat._

 _"Hmm?" Danny hummed in response, taking in the man's sad face as he put away his phone._

 _"Can you promise me something?"_

 _"Depends what it is, Sammy. I don't make promises without knowing what I'm agreeing to first," Danny responded, raising a curious eyebrow._

 _"After this is over – I want you stop hunting. Leave – settle down. Start a family – adopt a kid. Just, be happy and get away from all this," Sam pleaded._

 _Danny was silent for a moment, contemplating Sam's words. Could he really leave the life of a hunter behind forever? He doubted it. However, there was one thing he could promise._

 _"Sammy, I – "_

Once more, the vampire's memory was shattered as pain wracked through his already battered body. His hands reached up to tightly grasp onto the chains that held him, his knuckles turning white. He closed his eyes from the blinding light around him, turning his head away as hot fire surged through his body and pain shot through every nerve ending. Suddenly, it stopped. A cold feeling swept over the vampire – soothing his body after the intense heat. His body relaxed as he slouched forward, the chains the only thing holding him up.

Lucifer pulled his hand away, triumph flashing in his eyes. He reached up a hand, grabbing the unconscious vampire's chin and turning it up to face him. There was a soft, almost ethereal glow coming from the creature as the fallen archangel carefully removed the muzzle from Danny's face. He threw it off to the side and stepped back a pace, hands behind his back as he stared at Danny expectantly.

Minutes passed as Lucifer stood there, his irritation growing as his patience began to wane. Suddenly, there was a small movement coming from the chained man – a small twitch of his finger. Lucifer took a single step closer as the vampire pulled himself to his feet soundlessly, his eyes still closed. When he was fully upright, he opened his eyes, revealing a glowing blue color.

He glanced around, a small snarl twisting onto his features as he spotted the demons. With a low growl, he snapped his fingers, causing the demons to burst into blue-tinged white flames as they screamed in pain. He then glanced to the chains that held his wrists, effortlessly yanking them from the ceiling before tearing them off his hands and throwing them to the side. Only after that did he turn to face Lucifer, his face flickering between joy and sadness at seeing the archangel.

"Father," he softly said, nodding his head in greeting.

"Alistair," Lucifer grinned in response, embracing him. "I'm glad you're back."

"Sadly, it shall not last," Alistair replied with a small sigh, his posture rigid.

Lucifer pulled away, hands still on his son's shoulders as he asked, "What do you mean?"

"This vessel – Daniel – is strong. His will to survive is stronger than my own, thus I cannot maintain control for very long. Nor would I want to," Alistair answered gravely.

"We'll find a way – make it permanent – " Lucifer began frantically before he was stopped by Alistair holding a hand for silence.

"There is a way – a ritual. This ritual will bestow upon him the rest of my Grace, and restore me to full strength. However, it must be done of Daniel's own free will. No threats, no coercion."

"What is it? What's the ritual?" Lucifer asked, shaking Alistair's shoulders slightly.

"First: a require a promise from you, Father. You must not tell Daniel the ritual. Not until he's ready – not until he's willing to accept my power. Will you do this for me, Father? Will you make this promise to me?" Alistair asked, his glowing blue eyes meeting Lucifer's red ones.

"I promise. Just tell me what I have to do."

"Very well."

* * *

Danny's eyes slowly flickered open, taking in the familiar ceiling of the Salvatore library. He frowned in thought, glancing around from where he lay on his back on the floor. He took in the mostly empty bookshelves, giving him a very good idea of where he was now. He pushed himself to his feet, dusting the back of his pants off. He gave a small frown at the lack of sound that was a constant in his mindscape. With a snap of his fingers, _Carry on Wayward Son_ by Kansas began to play softly in the background.

"Quite the interesting place you have here," spoke a voice behind him.

Danny whirled around, astonishment flicking over his face briefly as he saw himself – or at least someone who looked like him – standing across the room from him. Danny narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he noticed this man's eyes were glowing. Which could only mean...

"I take it you're Alistair?" Danny questioned, taking a step forward.

"Very perceptive, Mr. Salvatore. It is a pleasure to formally make your acquaintance at last," Alistair replied, dipping his head in a small bow.

"Eat me."

"I have no interest in consuming... whatever you are," Alistair responded, the corners of his lips twitching slightly in amusement.

Danny rolled his eyes, glancing around the room. Out of nowhere, he vamped towards Alistair, grabbing him by his thin, rather raggedy shirt and slamming him against a bookcase. With a small smile, Danny said, "If you think you can have my body, you've got another thing coming, pal."

Alistair stared at him, his expression that of mild amusement. He smoothly pried the vampire's fingers from his neck before pushing him to the ground. He dusted the front of himself off lightly before looking down at the perplexed man before him, his expression turning flat and void of emotion.

"You misunderstand me, Mr. Salvatore. I have no interest in taking over your body. At least, not at the moment anyway."

"Riiiight," Danny huffed, rising to his feet carefully before continuing, "Why are you here then? What do you want?"

"Straight to the point, that's good. We are rather short on time, after all," Alistair nodded approvingly. He clasped his hands behind his back, straightening his posture as he said, "My Father has succeeded in uniting my Grace with your soul. This has made you what you should have been in the first place – a Nephilim."

"Does that mean I'm not a ...?" Danny trailed off, not wanting to give voice to his fear.

"You are still a vampire, Mr. Salvatore, not to worry," Alistair assured him, his form flickering for a second.

"What ...?"

"As I said before, we haven't much time, Mr. Salvatore. We must move quickly," Alistair spoke fast, overriding the vampire's question as he continued, "As we speak, my Father is heading for the battlefield to fight Michael. You must stop them both. Lock them both away inside the cage."

"Why would you want Lucy locked up? I thought all this bullshit with you started because he was locked up in the big house to begin with?" Danny rose an eyebrow quizzically.

"I am not sure what the fecal matter of a bovine and a large place of residence have to do with the matter at hand, Mr. Salvatore – "

"Okay, first off, stop calling me that. My name is Danny. Secondly, you really need to catch up on your 21st century lingo," Danny responded sharply, his eyes narrowing as the archangel's form flickered once more.

"We are getting off topic. To answer your question, you have to know the true reason why God allowed the archangels to create me in the first place. It was not just to help my Father to learn to love humanity – I was also created as a safety net for mankind. Despite my love for my Father, I cannot disobey the commands that were programmed into me at my creation. I must protect mankind – but I will not allow my Father to die. The only compromise that remains is to lock him away once more – until such a time that we can either change his mind about humanity, or find a way to keep him under control."

"For the record, I was planning on doing that in the first place. So, how do I knock them in?" Danny smirked, cracking his knuckles slightly in anticipation.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out."

"That's not an-" Danny began before everything went white.

* * *

Danny awoke with a small groan, his head pounding. He blinked his eyes a few times, staring at the back of a tombstone and the long, dead grass that surrounded it. He gave a small frown before crawling forward on his stomach, closer to the gravestone. Reaching his hands up, he grasped the top of the stone, hauling himself up a bit to where his arms were resting on top of the stone, and his chin was resting on his arms.

Glancing around furtively, he spotted two men – or, rather, two archangels – standing in the middle of the cemetery, talking to each other. Danny raised an eyebrow at the two before slowly sinking back down to hide behind the gravestone. _Well, shit. How ya gonna get past this one, Danno?_ He let his head rest on the headstone, a small sigh escaping his lips.

He ran his fingers through his messy hair before running them down his face, groaning in irritation. The way he saw it, he had two options. One: try to sneak past the two most powerful archangels in the world and hope to whoever was still out there that they didn't spot him. Two: run out like a jackass, toss out some snarky remarks, and hope that Lucifer kicked Michael's ass. Because, between the two archangels, Danny felt he was more likely to survive if Lucifer was the victor. _Maybe I can try to snag the rings while I'm at it... But that would mean damning Sam to an eternity in hell – in a cage with two archangels that would tear him to pieces. There's no winning here... but I can't just do nothing._

Feeling resolved to do whatever he had to, Daniel Salvatore rose from his hiding spot behind the headstone. He walked toward the two brothers, watching as their expressions changed to surprise – on Michael's part – and wariness on Lucifer's. He stopped a few feet away from them, his fingers fidgeting with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety.

"Alistair," Michael stated, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Try someone more charming and bloodthirsty, dick," Danny replied coolly, a smirk crawling over his face.

"I was wondering where he had dropped you off. What are you doing here, Danno?" Lucifer questioned, raising an eyebrow at the vampire/newly minted Nephilim.

"I'm here to make you the deal of a century, Lucy-loo."

"This is not your fight. Leave, I shall deal with you later," Michael snapped.

Lucifer held up a hand to quell his brother's irritation, looking at Danny with renewed interest as he said, "You want to make a deal with the Devil? What sort of deal?"

"One where you come out on top and Michael gets his ass handed to him on a silver platter," Danny responded, carefully ignoring the aforementioned archangel.

"I'm listening."

"The way I see it, you've got about a 50/50 shot of beating Michael on your own. But," Danny held up a finger to forestall any questions as he continued, "If you had assistance from, say, me, those odds would increase a significant amount."

"So, you help me take out my brother," Lucifer gestured at Michael before continuing, "And you get what exactly?"

"Me, my friends, my family – everyone that I care about – we all walk away from this whole apocalypse thing unharmed. That includes Sammy. When you win, you let him go free."

"And Adam?"

"I don't give a damn about that whiny little putz," Danny responded curtly, sparing a brief, emotionless glance at Michael's vessel before continuing, "He should've known nothing good would come from being an angel condom for this bucket of asshats." He jerked his thumb at Michael.

"Watch how you speak in front of me, you disgusting little abomination – " Michael began in a low tone, stepping closer to Danny.

"Why don't you make me? That is, if you're not too busy being Daddy's little bitch," Danny sneered, meeting the angel step for step until they were standing toe to toe.

Given his height, Danny had to look down slightly at the pissed off archangel. Michael only seemed to be more infuriated by this, his anger seeming to roll off him in waves of power that would make any normal human quake. Danny, however, was not normal – nor was he even close to being remotely human. Any fear that he might've felt at being in the presence of two primordial beings hell-bent on killing each other had been shut off – a dimmer switch that he had discovered on his humanity.

Michael raised his eyes up slightly to meet Danny's, while Lucifer looked on with a mixture of intrigue and amusement on his face. All three were silent, unmoving, waiting to see who would act first. It was Michael who struck first, throwing out a left hook that Danny deftly caught with his right hand – his eyes glowing blue for a brief moment. He swiftly twisted Michael's arm, pushing up with his left hand on the archangel's elbow joint, snapping it.

Michael growled lowly before pushing out his remaining hand, launching Danny away with a burst of power. The hybrid flew back, breaking some headstones as he did so, before finally landing against a tree. _That cheating son of a bitch._ He couldn't help but grumble to himself as he slowly rose to his feet, rolling his shoulders and popping his neck. He narrowed his eyes, prepared to vamp over when he noticed Michael had vanished. Giving a small frown, he glanced around briefly, looking for any sign of that –

His search was halted abruptly as he felt a sharp stabbing through his stomach. He bent over double, blood spurting from his mouth as he looked down to see an angel blade protruding from his vital organs. He followed the blade up to see Michael materialize before his very eyes. The archangel pushed the blade through, pinning him firmly to the tree, his feet off the ground. _I'm so shivving his ass._

"You shouldn't have interfered," Michael informed him smugly.

Danny glowered at him, not managing to move – seeing as how the blade was brushing up against his spinal cord, sending waves of pain throughout his body. He was, however, able to spit blood defiantly in Michael's face. The archangel wiped the blood from his face before glaring and punching the hybrid in the face. He then turned away, walking back towards Lucifer to resume his conversation. _Guess the deal's not gonna work out now. Way to fuck things up, Danno._

Meanwhile, as Danny was beating himself up for his mistake, the two archangels had finished talking and were now circling each other, prepared to attack. Before they could do so, however, the familiar rumble of a car engine was heard just outside the cemetery. The three supernatural creatures looked up as _Rock of Ages_ by Def Leppard began to play, and the Impala slowly made its way into the graveyard. It was put in park and Dean climbed out, looking around at them all.

"Howdy, boys. Am I interrupting?" Dean asked, pausing as he spotted Danny and saying, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know, just hanging around," Danny joked weakly, a cringe-like smile on his face as he kept his hands wrapped firmly around the handle of the blade, preventing it from moving.

"I'll get you down in a second, just hang tight," Dean assured him before looking back at the other two.

"Really? Cuz I was thinking of going for a walk – maybe get some ice cream or – " Danny began, sarcasm dripping from his tone with every word he spoke.

"Okay, I get it, poor choice of words. Nobody likes a smartass," Dean cut him off with a wave of his hand.

Danny snickered – or at least tried to. All he managed to do was cause unnecessary injury to himself by making the blade shift slightly. He leaned his head back with a small groan of pain and irritation. It was the big fight against Michael and Lucifer – the day that everyone had been simultaneously anticipating and dreading – and he was practically useless. Sure, he had gotten a hit on Michael – hell, arrogant as he was, Danny figured he probably could've taken the archangel in a fair fight. _But Mikey had to be a dick and go all Invisible Douche on me. That or he pulled a Nightcrawler and poofed from one place to another. Probably both... Dick._

"Hey, ass-butt!" the gravelly voice of his knight in tan trench coat spoke, jolting Danny from his thoughts.

Danny let out a pained laugh as he watched Castiel throw a molotov at Michael, causing the archangel to scream in pain as he went up in flames. _Holy fire_. Lucifer apparently drew the same conclusion, for he turned to Castiel, asking him if he had just Molotoved his brother with holy fire. Castiel gave a very unconvincing 'no'.

"No one dicks with Michael but me," Lucifer stated, snapping his fingers.

"NO!" Danny screamed as Cas exploded in a rain of blood and chunks of meat.

Lucifer spared Danny only the briefest of glances before turning back to Dean, who was still trying to reach Sammy. The hybrid felt tears prick at the edges of his vision, and he took a deep, shuddering breath as he tried to hold in his emotions. _Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't – dammit._ He could feel the tracks that the salty liquid left behind on his cheeks, his eyes raising up slightly to stare at the spot Castiel had been just moments before.

His gaze flicked over tiredly to stare at Bobby, who was yelling something at him – something Danny didn't quite have the strength to process at the moment. He followed his gesturing movements, his eyes locking on Dean – who was sitting up against the Impala, getting the stuffing beat out of him by Lucifer. The hybrid's eyes narrowed dangerously, the veins appearing beneath his eyes as the familiar feeling of rage coursed through his veins. He lost two brothers in the past few days – Sam and Castiel – he wouldn't lose another.

Channeling his pain and grief into anger and determination, Danny tightened his grip around the hilt of the blade, taking a deep breath as he prepared himself for what he was about to do. He gathered as much strength as he had, his eyes glowing a bright blue with blood red around the edges. He clenched his teeth, feeling his elongated fangs poke into his bottom lip as he swiftly pulled the blade from his stomach with grunt of pain.

He fell forward, groaning slightly as he tightly held the angel blade in his right hand. He glanced up as he heard gunshots, closely followed by Dean's yell. He frowned as he watched Bobby's neck snap, prompting Danny to begin crawling forward towards the only two living beings left in the graveyard. He ignored the pain, ignored the blood trail he was leaving behind as he moved closer to the two Winchesters.

It was as Samifer pulled his hand back for another punch that Danny reached them, grabbing onto the moose's ankle with his left hand. He gripped him tightly, his face betraying what he was feeling at the moment. Anger, pain, and grief all culminated together as he stared at Sam – willing him to come back, to stop all this. The man's eyes flicked down to Danny for the briefest moment before turning back to Dean. In that one small glance, Danny felt something he hadn't felt in a long time: hope. Not just hope for Sam – not just hope that they would make it through this alive – but for all humanity.

Sammy took a step back, assuring them everything would be okay. He took the rings out, tossing them onto the ground and saying the magic words. The portal to the cage opened, and the younger Winchester walked toward it, seeming to struggle with every step. Just as he was about to dive in, Michael reappeared, grabbing Sam's arm and trying to pull him back. Before he could do so, however, Danny raised the blade still in his hand. _This is for you, Gabriel._ Aiming carefully, he threw the blade, hitting his mark – right up Michael's Main Street.

"That's for nailing me to a tree, you dick!" Danny shouted as the archangel yelled in anger.

That gave Sam the advantage he needed, allowing him to pull Michael in the cage with him. There was a bright flash of light, prompting Dean and Danny to raise their hands up to shield their eyes. When they lowered them, the light had vanished, as had the hole. Danny pulled himself up slightly to rest against the car next to Dean. He groaned at the movement, pressing his hand tight against his stomach as pain flooded back into him.

The two sat there for a moment, panting and staring at the Horsemen's rings – the only thing left of the battle that had been fought and won this day. W _ell, that and Bobby._ Danny thought ruefully, staring at the man's corpse. He turned his gaze to Dean, not wanting to think about who else hadn't made it.

"You look like shit," Danny commented.

"Yeah, well, you ain't winnin' any beauty pageants either, pal," Dean replied, looking over at him and taking in his bloodied appearance.

"Still look a damn sight better than you do," Danny chuckled weakly, stopping only to cough up some blood.

Dean stared at him for a moment, watching as the hybrid leaned his head back and closed his eyes with a small sigh. His chest rose and fell heavily, his breathing ragged and uneven. After a moment, his breathing evened out as he succumbed to sleep – exhausted after everything that had taken place.


	20. Chapter 20: Vampire - The Masquerade(E)

**Chapter 20: Vampire – The Masquerade**

 _March 24, 2010_

The week that followed Sam's descent into Lucifer's cage was largely uneventful. Or, well, at least Danny thought so. Sure, Castiel came back to life – resurrecting Bobby and healing both Danny and Dean. He had offered to help Danny get some control over his new abilities, but the hybrid had declined, preferring to rely on his vampire side. He did, however, take a few notes on what the abilities of a Nephilim were – never know when you might need some angel juju. After that, Castiel had left for heaven, leaving Dean, Danny, and Bobby to pick up the pieces of their lives.

The three – as well as Karen, Kate, and the twins – had decided to chill at Bobby's place for a while. They were, as Danny had phrased it, "living in a post-apocalyptic world and are entitled to drink, party, and do whatever the hell we want." Admittedly, there wasn't any partying going on, but drinking and hanging out with friends for an entire week without having to worry about monsters or anything else was just as good in Danny's book.

Speaking of monsters, Dean had decided to give up hunting and try to live a normal life with Kate and the boys. After hearing about Dean's plans to leave, Danny had asked if he could hitch a ride back to Mystic Falls – which Dean, surprisingly, agreed to.

The five were currently pulling up to the Salvatore mansion, the moon shining bright overhead as the stars twinkled down at them. Danny frowned slightly at the darkened windows and lack of any inhabitants in the house. He turned to look at Dean, raising an eyebrow slightly in amusement as Dean stared at the house with a mixture of disbelief and awe.

"How do you go from living in a mansion to slumming it in crappy motel rooms?" Dean questioned.

"See, when you hang out with someone like Gabriel, even the crappiest of motel rooms can turn into a 5 star resort," Danny smirked, opening his door and getting out of the car.

"Sounds like a blast," Kate murmured from the back.

Dean followed close behind Danny, walking around to the trunk of the car with the hybrid. They popped the trunk, and Danny reached in to grab his bag out of the car, slinging it over his shoulder before closing the lid. The two quietly walked to the front door before stopping and staring at each other awkwardly. Dean reached into the inside of his jacket, pulling out a DVD case and holding it out to Danny.

" 'Casa Erotica #13'?" Danny chuckled slightly.

"It's from Gabriel. I figured, maybe, you'd like to see it. Coulda left some message in there for you or something," Dean shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets.

Danny gripped the case a little tighter at these words, smiling softly to himself at the thought of seeing Gabriel once more – even in video form. He swiftly pulled Dean into a bro hug, clapping him on the back a few times as Dean somewhat hesitantly did the same.

"Thank you, Dean. If you ever need anything, just let me know," Danny smiled, pulling back and holding the man at arm's length.

"Yeah, same goes for you too, buddy. And, uh, if you find a way to get Sam out – "

"You'll be the first person I call, I promise," Danny clapped him on the shoulder before continuing, "You should probably get going. Best not to linger too long in Mystic Falls nowadays."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll call you sometime," Dean told him, turning around and walking toward his car.

 _Oh, Dean, I bet you say that to all the girls._ Danny smirked as he waved farewell to the oldest Winchester. Dean pulled out of the driveway, prompting Danny to enter his house and head up the stairs to his room. He took a deep breath, glad to be home at last. His joy didn't last long, however, as he recalled that today was the Masquerade Ball. _Which can only mean that Katherine and my brothers are putting their respective plans into action. I guess that means I should do the same._

* * *

Danny entered the Lockwood mansion, taking a glass of champagne from a nearby server as he did so. He drained the glass in one go before placing it on a nearby table. He tugged lightly on the lapels of his jacket before undoing the bottom buttons, revealing the slightly rumpled white dress shirt underneath. Glancing around, he spotted a blonde girl in a red dress headed towards the door. He grabbed her arm, turning her around to face him.

"You must be the newbie. Tell me: where's the bitch at? And don't play dumb, you know exactly who I'm talking about," Danny gave a charming smile.

"Why should I tell you anything?" Caroline asked, trying and failing to pull her arm from Danny's grasp.

"Because, unlike my brothers, I have no problem torturing and/or killing Elena's perky blonde friend to get what I want."

"And what do you want?"

"The same thing I've wanted for far too long: to make Katherine's life a complete and utter hell on earth," Danny replied, pulling his mask off and giving a devilish smirk.

Caroline stared at him for a moment, seeming to weigh his words. After a moment, she pointed up the stairs. Danny smiled, patting her on the head before releasing her. He bounded up the stairs, taking two at a time before reaching the top. He walked over to a set of French doors and flung them open dramatically before sauntering into the room. He looked around to see Damon, Stefan, and Katherine all staring at him – the latter of the three staring at him with wide eyes.

Danny spread his arms open wide, cheerfully saying, "Well, ain't this a regular class reunion?"

"Danny? What're you...?" Stefan began.

"Doing here? Kidnapping bitches and drinking champagne. And I'm all out of champagne," Danny replied airily, walking further into the room with slow, measured steps. He stopped a few feet from Katherine, a predatory smile creeping onto his face as he looked at her. "Katherine Pierce. You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment."

"Daniel Salvatore. I can't say I ever expected to see you again. How was Hell?" Katherine responded, getting her voice back after her momentary shock.

"Why don't I give you a sample?" Danny responded, his eyes narrowing dangerously as veins appeared below them.

He pulled his knife out of the inside pocket of his jacket before lunging for Katherine. He was stopped by his brothers, who grabbed him by the arms and pulled him back. Or, at least, they tried to. They were only able to keep him from moving closer to the bitch, who seemed unfazed by his sudden attack.

"Danny, you can't attack her. She's linked to Elena," Stefan explained with a small grunt.

"I don't care. This bitch has had this coming for years, Stefan. I won't let someone like Elena Gilbert stop me from getting my revenge," Danny retorted, trying to pull away from his brothers without hurting them.

"Look, I get it, Katherine's a total bitch that needs to be put out of our misery – but we can't let you hurt her – yet. Give us time to get the spell off, then she's all yours," Damon reasoned.

Danny stopped struggling for a moment, pondering the idea. Eventually, he agreed – albeit reluctantly – to give them one hour to come up with something. Afterwards, he was getting Katherine – spell or no spell. He sat in an armchair, twirling his knife in his hand as he stared Katherine, his face carefully blank.

"Since we'll be spending some quality time together, I have to ask: how did you get out?" Katherine questioned.

Danny remained stonily silent, continuing to twirl his knife. The other Salvatore brothers stared at the two vampires in confusion. After it became apparent that Danny wasn't going to answer, Stefan finally asked, "Get out of where?"

"Hell," Danny and Katherine answered simultaneously.

"Wait, Hell's an actual place?" Stefan questioned.

"What was it like?" Damon asked curiously.

"Splendid. Beaches, booze, a little humid but it was tolerable," Danny answered sarcastically, rolling his eyes before continuing, "It was Hell, what do you think?"

"How the hell did you get sent to, well, Hell?" Damon asked, leaning against a wall.

"I was tracking this bitch down for some friends of mine. She caught wind of it, made a deal with a demon, and got me teleported into Hell," Danny answered curtly.

"And I didn't even have to sell my soul to do it. They just wanted you," Katherine smirked, inspecting her nails.

"Can't sell something you never had to begin with, skank," Danny shot back.

Katherine shrugged, unconcerned with the insult as Stefan asked, "How did you get out?"

"A demon named Crowley offered me a deal: he helps me get out, in return for a favor somewhere down the road. I accepted," Danny answered with a small shrug. He paused, pursing his lips slightly in thought before saying, "You know, were it not for the fact that I loathe your very existence and that I was tortured in Hell because of you, I would probably thank you, Katherine."

"What for?" Katherine questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"You see, what most people don't know is that time in Hell passes differently from time up here. A month topside is ten years down under. Of course, that wouldn't really matter if it was just someone's soul that got sent down. But if the entire person – or vampire, in this case – were to spend time down there..."

"They would gain more years in a shorter period of time than someone up here would," Katherine finished, mouth slightly agape.

"How long were you down there?" Damon asked.

"From 1950 to 1960."

"So, you're twelve hundred years old?" Stefan confirmed.

"Give or take – yes," Danny replied before taking out his phone and looking at the clock on it. "Forty-five minutes to go, guys."

Damon walked over to the barrier, pressing against it slightly as he said, "Damn it. Where's that witch?"

"We could play charades?" Katherine suggested with a smile, walking around behind the couch.

"I'll go first. Wait, how do you mime 'wanting to stab an evil vampire slut?'" Danny questioned, spinning the tip of the blade into the arm of his chair.

"I think you just gave it away big bro," Damon informed him with a smile.

"Oopsie," Danny snickered.

Unfortunately, Stefan didn't appear to be in a joking mood like his older brothers. His expression was thoughtful and pensive. After a moment, he seemed to come to a realization, pointing at Katherine and saying, "You bargained the moonstone."

"What're you mumbling about over there?" Damon asked.

"When you struck a deal with George Lockwood to help you fake your death, you told me that you gave George something that he needed. It was the moonstone, wasn't it?" Stefan guessed.

"Knowing what a slut Kathy is, I bet she gave him a lot more than the moonstone," Danny remarked with some disgust.

"Good for you, Stefan, 2 + 2... And it would have worked, except that people found out I wasn't in the tomb. Thanks to you, by the way," Katherine continued, turning to Damon who raised his glass to her. "Have I mentioned how inconvenient your obsession with me has been?"

She began to walk closer to Damon, stopping when Danny rose from his chair slightly, his knife pointed at her warningly.

"You and me both, honey," Damon replied, drinking from his glass.

"As unfortunate as my brother's taste in women – and whatever the hell Katherine is – may be, his crazy obsession did work in my favor to help lure you back to Mystic Falls," Danny remarked with a smile.

"So, you planned this from the beginning?" Katherine asked.

"Eh, there were a few kinks here and there – couple of unexpected things – but it all worked out in the end," Danny shrugged.

"How did you know she was alive to begin with? Before 1950, I mean," Stefan frowned, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Because I'm Daniel fucking Salvatore," Danny smiled, his arms open wide as though expecting applause. When none was forthcoming, and the three continued to stare at him, he rolled his eyes, leaning back into his chair as he said, "I saw her the night she escaped. She's not a sneaky little ninja like she wants you to believe."

There was a small pause before Stefan steered the conversation back to its original direction with, "Why do you need it back?"

"I love you in a suit. So dashing," Katherine deflected.

 _Probably wants to use it as a bargaining chip so Klaus doesn't skin her alive. Too bad for her - I'm much worse than Klaus ever was._ Danny smirked.

"And what were you doing with it in the first place?" Stefan questioned.

"Wasting your breath, Stefan," Damon commented.

"Unless it wasn't yours to begin with," Stefan realized.

 _Give the man a gold star_. Danny smiled proudly at his youngest brother. Katherine merely stared at him, gently stroking the stake in her hands.

"In 1864, you faked your death. Who were you running from, Katherine?" Stefan asked.

"In 1987, you were in Chicago, at a concert of all places. With that wench Lexi. Come on, Stefan, don't look so surprised. Of course, I checked in on you over the years," Katherine commented, walking closer to the youngest Salvatore. She stopped, barely a foot away from him as she continued, "You were standing in the front row dancing all night. You were watching Bon Jovi and I was watching you."

"Geez, stalker much?" Danny rolled his eyes, his body tense and ready to spring into action at the slightest indication that Katherine would harm his brother.

"Who were you running from?" Stefan asked again after a moment of silence.

"Why don't you ask your oldest brother?" Katherine replied.

"You want me to tell them, Kathy? Because I'll tell them _everything_ ," Danny replied, a note of warning in his voice as his grip tightened slightly on the knife.

The two stared at each other, a silent battle of wills taking place between the oldest vampires in the room. After a minute Katherine broke eye contact and walked over to the window, staring outside. The younger Salvatores looked to the oldest questioningly, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and mild apprehension. Danny shook his head before rising to his feet and walking over to pour himself a drink.

"We're missing the party," Katherine commented with a sigh.

"Should've thought of that before you decided to make a career out of being the world's biggest bitch," Danny replied snarkily, raising his glass to her with a small smile.

Damon walked over to stand beside his older brother, pouring himself another drink.

"I'll have one of those," Katherine stated.

The oldest Salvatores stared at each other a moment, silently communicating. After a second, Danny nodded before strolling back his seat, carrying his glass in his left hand and twirling his knife with his right.

"Right away, Miss Katherine," Damon replied in a barely noticeable mocking tone, pouring her drink.

Katherine smiled triumphantly before walking behind him, holding out her hand expectantly. Damon handed her her drink without even looking at her. Katherine sipped her drink as she continued walking. Without warning, Damon grabbed her and pinned her to the wall, holding his stake in his hand. Stefan grabbed Damon's arm, preventing him from stabbing the wench.

"No! Damon, don't," Stefan pleaded.

"Yes, Damon, please," Katherine smiled.

"The second the spell is lifted, I'm gonna drive this stake right through your heart," Damon vowed.

"God you're hot. When did you get so hot?" Katherine replied breathily.

"Eww. I didn't think you were that kinky. I figured you more of a sadist than a masochist," Danny commented, wrinkling his nose in disgust before taking a sip of his drink.

Damon released her, allowing her to walk away from him toward Stefan. As she got closer to him, Danny vamped out of his seat, stopping just in time to let the knife hover just above her heart. True, he knew the knife wouldn't kill her. But it would certainly hurt like hell.

"Katherine. The spell in this room has been broken. You're free to leave," spoke a feminine voice just outside the room.

They all turned to see a pretty dark woman stroll into the room, the moonstone in her hand. Another Bennett witch. Danny frowned, his eyes moving to the rock in her hand. _So that's the moonstone Klaus wants so badly. Something's off about it, though. Some sort of spell..._ Danny's thoughts trailed off as realization struck him. He slowly pulled his knife away, straightening up slightly as he did so.

After a brief conversation, the Bennett witch placed the moonstone in Katherine's palm. She smiled triumphantly for a moment before she began choking. The witch informed them that the spell had been broken, causing Danny's smile to widen as he saw Katherine struggling for breath as she fell to the floor. She then apologized for her involvement before walking away, leaving the three brothers and an unconscious Katherine behind.

* * *

Damon and Danny dragged Katherine to the tomb – Danny 'accidentally' allowing Katherine's head to drag on the ground and bump into rocks and other assorted things. After tossing her unceremoniously into the cave, they stood there for a moment and stared at her.

"I thought you wanted to torture her," Damon commented.

"I thought you wanted to stab her in the heart," Danny retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I figured that would be too kind – especially after what she's done."

"True enough. Besides, I can still just as easily torture her from here. She'll make a nice guinea pig," Danny smirked evilly.

"A nice guinea pig for what?" Damon asked.

"Let's just say I've learned a few new tricks since I've been gone," Danny responded, clapping his brother's shoulder and turning away so he wouldn't see his glowing blue eyes.


	21. Chapter 21: Original Origins(Edited)

**Chapter 21: Original Origins**

 _March 25, 2010_

The next morning found Danny rifling through his library of the supernatural. Despite what he had said to Damon, Danny had no idea what his powers were or how they worked, now that he was a Nephilim. He couldn't call Cas, since there was no cell reception in heaven. He wasn't going to call Crowley for help – he wasn't even sure if the demon knew what he was, and he wanted to keep it that way. That left only one option: research.

As far as he could tell, there wasn't much lore on Nephilim. The Bible only vaguely mentioned their creation – and other religions didn't seem to mention them at all. After going through his third book that day, Danny had enough. With a small curse, he threw the book at his door, which just so happened to be opening at the time. The door closed abruptly, allowing the book to slam into it. After a second, it slowly opened, Damon peeking his head out.

"Bad time?" He questioned.

"Day's still young – always time for it to get worse. What's up?" Danny asked, running his fingers through his hair haphazardly before turning to face his brother.

"Elena's missing, somebody took her," Damon informed him.

There was a pregnant pause between the two where Danny just stared at his brother blankly. After a moment, he broke the silence and said, "This is the part where you tell me how this is my problem."

"The girl your baby brother loves is in danger and you're asking how this is your problem?" Damon clarified incredulously.

"Yes, I am. I don't know if you've noticed, Damon, but I'm not particularly fond of Elena Gilbert."

"She's not Katherine, Danny."

"I'm perfectly aware of who the girl is, brother," Danny responded coldly. He paused, taking a deep breath and running a hand over his face before continuing in a more neutral tone, "She's the girl that both of my brothers are in love with. The girl that they would sacrifice everything – maybe even each other – for. She is the girl that will inevitably tear you two apart, just like Katherine did almost 150 years ago.

"It took you guys that long to get on speaking terms with each other. And even longer to become brothers again. I won't let her tear apart our family again."

"Oh, don't bullshit me. Since when do you care about family? Last I checked, you ditched town and left us when we became vampires. Stefan didn't see you for almost 70 years – and it took you another 50 to even bother looking for me," Damon shouted, striding further into the room. He stood toe to toe with his older brother, whose eyes were narrowed and his jaw clenched. He looked into his brother's eyes, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and shaking him slightly as he softly asked, "Why did you abandon us?"

Danny looked down at him, inhaling and exhaling heavily, pursing his lips slightly as he clenched and unclenched his hands. After a moment, he finally said, "I was protecting you."

"From what? From who?"

"I can't tell you," Danny replied, prying his brother's fingers off him and walking toward another bookshelf. He skimmed through the titles, trying to ignore his brother's eyes on him. He sighed, placing a hand flat on the bookshelf as he said, "Go rescue Elena. I'll hold down the fort here – call me if there's any trouble."

Damon said nothing, instead turning and striding out of the room, leaving Danny alone. _Damn it, Danno. You're really in it now._ He shook his head before skimming the bookshelves once more.

* * *

The following morning saw Danny sitting at his desk, pouring over the Book of Enoch. It was the only book he could find that went into any sort of detail about the Nephilim. Admittedly, it still wasn't much – but it was a start. After hours of muddling through the damn thing, he came to a few conclusions: one, Enoch was probably crazy. Two, he was moderately certain half the stuff written about Nephilim wasn't even true. And three: he really needed a drink.

With that last thought, he rose to his feet, stretching as he did so. He opened his door, making his way through the hall and down the stairs. He walked into the library in time to hear Damon say that someone was in denial.

It was after Stefan told him to shut up, that Danny made his presence known with, "In denial about what?"

The two brothers and a girl who oddly resembled Bela Talbot stared at him as he poured himself a drink. Taking a long sip of it, he sighed before walking over to the couch and sitting on it, staring at them expectantly.

"An original vampire named Klaus might be after Elena," Stefan answered at last.

"Uh-huh," Danny replied slowly, taking another sip of his drink before asking, "And, uh, who's the broad?"

"I'm Rose – " the girl began.

"Rose-Marie?" Danny clarified, taking another drink as the girl nodded. "Well, ain't that a kick in the pants."

"How do you know my name?" Rose asked carefully, looking as though she was in between bolting and shaking him.

"Klaus bitched about you and Katherine a lot. It was kinda annoying."

The three stared at him, shocked expressions on all their faces. Danny merely smiled before reaching over the back of the couch to pour himself another drink. When he turned back around, they were still staring at him, prompting him to check his clothes for any spots – wondering if he had perhaps spilled his drink or something.

"You've met Klaus?" Damon asked, to which Danny nodded. He then asked, "What was he like?"

"British. He's also a brilliant strategist – kind of a dick though, but you get used to it. Personally, I preferred Elijah's company. Much nicer, funny guy too. You wouldn't expect it from him, but he's very sassy," Danny smirked.

"You knew Elijah too?" Stefan questioned.

"Well, yeah. He did sire me, after all."

"You were sired by an original vampire?" Asked Rose.

"Is there an echo in the room?"

Rose turned toward the younger two Salvatores angrily, pointing at Danny and shouting, "You had someone sired directly by Elijah, and you didn't think to bring him along?"

"Bring me along where?"

The brothers quickly explained that Elena had been taken by a human under Rose and her friend Trevor's compulsion. She had been brought to an abandoned mansion and Elijah had been called in. Not long after, Damon and Stefan had snuck in, and Damon had killed Elijah by running him through with a wooden coat rack. Danny seemed mildly amused by this, and had to keep himself from laughing about how the great Elijah Mikaelson had been bested by a couple of young – by vampiric standards, anyway – vampires. For a brief moment, he debated telling his brothers that Elijah was still alive. _But why spoil the surprise?_

"You seem pretty cheery after being told your sire bit the dust," Damon commented dryly. "No love lost between you two, huh?"

"On the contrary, the guy was like the father I wish I had. Instead, I got that douchebag Giuseppe. Hashtag, Father of the Year," Danny replied with a sarcastic roll of his eyes, taking another long sip of his drink.

"I don't understand; how does someone like you get sired by someone – " Rose began.

"As sophisticated, honorable, moral, and noble as Elijah? It's quite the tale – well, no not really," Danny added as an afterthought. "It's actually quite boring – not worth mentioning at all."

"Out with it. You know how we were sired - it's only fair we know your story," Stefan stated, sitting in an armchair across from him.

"Fine, if you insist," Danny replied, leaning back in his seat and resting his right foot on his left knee.

 _Daniel pushed his way through the dense forest, panting heavily as he stopped and looked around. Hearing nothing, he leaned against a tree, hand pressed tightly to the right side of his abdomen to staunch the flow of blood. He grunted in pain as he looked down, eyeing the blood flowing through his fingers. He looked up, glancing around furtively before he started moving again. He had to keep moving, he had to make it back home. Back to Mystic Falls. Back to his brothers._

 _That last thought encouraged him to push his pace harder. He kept running, only stopping at brief intervals to check if anyone was following him. When he was only met with silence, he continued onward, only occasionally glancing behind him to make absolutely sure he was alone._

 _It was as the trees began to thin out that he discovered a dirt road. And by discovered, he meant his face found the ground and his body followed soon after. He didn't have time to dwell on the pain as the whiny of horses told him he was not alone. He rolled out of the way of the oncoming carriage, panting heavily as he heaved himself up. He leaned against a tree, warily eyeing the carriage as it came to a stop. Shaking his head, he turned away from the carriage, ignoring the sound of the door opening as he shuffled down the side of the road._

 _"You know, you shouldn't travel alone. There are dangerous things lurking in the night," spoke a masculine British voice behind him, his tone one of amusement._

 _Daniel merely grunted in response, continuing forward. At the sound of footsteps behind him, however, Daniel turned around abruptly, frowning slightly when he saw no one there. With the smallest of shrugs, he turned forward once more, nearly falling backwards from shock as he did so. In front of him stood a man with dark hair and eyes wearing a suit. That wasn't the oddest thing about him, however, the man seemed a bit blurred around edges – an odd glow seeming to come from around him. Daniel wasn't sure if he was hallucinating due to blood loss, or if it was something else. What he was sure of was that he didn't have time for this._

 _"Stand aside, please," Daniel grunted, leaning heavily against a tree._

 _"In a hurry, are we?"_

 _"Yes," Daniel responded in a curt tone, pressing his hand more firmly to his side._

 _The man's eyes trailed down, eyeing Daniel's wound. For a brief second, Daniel thought he saw the whites of the man's eyes turn red, as well as veins beginning to appear. It disappeared in an instant, leaving Daniel to wonder if he imagined the whole thing._

 _"You're wounded," the man stated, meeting Daniel's eyes once more._

 _"Astute observation," Daniel replied dryly, shifting slightly. "Now, if you don't mind, I really must be going. I'd like to reach my destination before I bleed out."_

 _"The nearest hospital is in the opposite direction."_

 _"That's not where I'm going."_

 _The man seemed to pause at this, scanning Daniel over with a more critical eye. After a moment, he said, "You're a deserter. A Confederate deserter. That's why you're not going to a hospital." Daniel didn't respond, instead staring at the man, a defiant gleam in his blue eyes. The man seemed to be a mixture of intrigued and amused by this as he continued, "I'll tell you what; you answer my questions honestly, and I'll ensure that your wound is properly treated. Does that sound fair to you, Mister...?"_

 _"Salvatore. Daniel Salvatore," Daniel replied, pausing as he considered the man's offer. He looked down at his wound, grimacing slightly before shaking the man's outstretched hand with his relatively clean left one. "It's a deal."_

 _"You may call me Elijah," the man responded with the smallest of smiles, watching as Daniel slowly eased his way onto the ground. When he was finally situated, Elijah asked, "What made you desert?"_

 _"I don't believe in slavery. Never have, never will."_

 _"Then why join in the first place?" Elijah inquired._

 _"To protect my brother. If I didn't go, my father was going to force my younger brother to join up instead. I couldn't let that happen. Whatever may happen at home – the battlefield is a much worse place to be," Daniel grimaced, closing his eyes as he leaned against the tree._

 _Elijah was silent, processing this. After a moment, he quietly asked, "You went against your own beliefs – practically threw away your own life – just to keep your brother safe?"_

 _"One thing you should know about me, Elijah, I would do anything to keep my brothers safe – even if it means surrendering my own life," Daniel replied, his eyes opening to give Elijah a sharp glance, as though daring him to threaten his brothers._

 _"Then why leave? If the purpose of joining the Confederacy was to protect your brother, why leave it?"_

 _Daniel was silent for a moment, debating how best to answer that. After a few seconds of silence, he finally came up with, "I've always wanted to be a role model to my brothers – someone they could look up to and believe in. Going against everything I've ever believed in – doing the wrong thing for the right reasons..." He paused, frowning as he shook his head. "I became someone I didn't recognize. I want to protect my brothers, but I don't want to lose myself doing it."_

Danny paused, taking a long, slow sip of his drink. He looked at his glass, swirling the contents thoughtfully. Glancing back up, he saw the three vampires staring at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue his story. _It's not every day you get to tell someone how you died._ He hummed slightly in amusement.

"Long story short, Elijah held up his end of the bargain and fed me his blood. Shortly thereafter, I got shot by a Confederate soldier who was tracking me. But you know how that song and dance goes," Danny continued offhandedly, taking another long drink. "Woke up in transition, Elijah said 'feed or die', I fed. Then lived happily ever after with the Original Vampires for three years, came back to Mystic Falls for a few weeks, then returned to them until 1949. The end."

"So, an Original Vampire just walks up to you and says 'answer my questions and I'll save your life'?" Damon clarified skeptically.

"That's the long and short of it, yes."

"Why leave in 1949? Why that specific year?" Stefan questioned.

"Klaus made some unfounded accusations towards me, and I was worried Elijah might take his side. So, I started hunting for Katherine in the hopes that I could use her as a bargaining chip," Danny paused, swirling his drink around before scowling. "Little bitch got the better of me, I got sidetracked, yada, yada, yada."

"How do you get sidetracked from trying to save your life?" Rose asked.

Danny's eyes darted to his brothers, his lips pursing slightly as he emptied his glass of bourbon. After refilling it, he answered, "Shit happens."

"Do you know where Klaus is now?" Damon asked, purposefully steering the subject away from his brother's time in hell.

Danny shot him a grateful look before shrugging and saying, "Not a damn clue. I haven't seen him since around '95ish."

"What happened in '95?" Stefan asked.

"Met him at a bar, sat next to him, threatened him a bit, then carried on my merry way," Danny smiled before rising to his feet. "That's enough questions for today, kiddos. I have some work to do."

"Wait, you can't just – " Rose began hotly.

"Watch me, sweetheart. I have much larger concerns than Klaus, at the moment."

With a small wave of his hand, Danny walked out of the library. Ignoring the shouts of the other vampires, he smiled lightly as he made his way up the stairs. It was good to be home.

* * *

A few hours later found Danny sitting in a car with Rose and Damon on the road to Richmond. They were off to see a guy named Slater, who Rose said might be able to get them in contact with Klaus. Now, normally, Danny would try to stay out of Klaus' way. However, he was certain that his reckless younger brother would go after Klaus regardless of what his big brother might say. He figured he might as well be there if/when things go south.

They eventually pulled into a parking garage, climbing out of the black SUV and glancing around. After threatening each other, the three made their way through a door, entering a café-esque room lined with windows on one side.

"Whoa. What about the, uh... sunlight?" Damon questioned.

"Double-paned and tempered. UV rays can't penetrate," Rose answered, taking off her jacket.

"Very clever," Danny conceded, glancing around the room.

"You see the appeal now?" Rose asked, watching as Damon turned his head away without responding.

"That, and the free Wi-Fi," spoke a voice in front of the three.

They turned to see relatively young man – though, considering the fact that the guy was a vampire, who knew how old he was? He had light brown hair, blue eyes, and a slightly faded goatee. After the man – Slater – and Rose greeted each other, they turned back to face the Salvatore brothers.

"Damon Salvatore. Turned 1864, Mystic Falls, by Katherine Pierce, AKA Katerina Petrova," he smiled at Damon before turning to Danny, frowning slightly as he did so. "Daniel Salvatore. Turned 1861, just outside of New Orleans, by Elijah... you're supposed to be dead."

"Aren't we all?" Danny smiled, holding his arms out and glancing around.

"You vanished without a trace in 1950, rumors went around that Katherine had gotten to you - "

"In a manner of speaking, yes. Can we move on? If I have to hear that bitch's name one more time, I'm gonna cap someone," Danny continued smiling genially.

After some awkward small-talk, the four made their way toward a table by a window. Danny was facing towards the window, Rose was across from him, Damon was on his left, leaving Slater on the right. Resting his head on his arms, Danny vaguely listened as Slater informed him of his PhD's and Masters degrees, prompting Damon to ask what the point was. After Slater got a bit short with him, they finally moved back to the topic at hand: how to get in contact with Klaus.

Slater informed them that he usually took an ad out on Craigslist, somebody who knows somebody who knows Elijah gets in contact with Klaus. Unfortunately, Elijah was dead – or so three of the four of them believed.

"Here's what I don't get. Elijah moves around during the day, which means the Original people knew the secret of the day ring. Now, why would Klaus want to lift the curse of the sun and the moon?" Damon asked.

"To keep the werewolves from lifting it. If a vampire breaks the sun curse, then the werewolves are stuck with the curse of the moon forever, and vice versa," Slater explained, causing Danny roll his eyes.

"But werewolves are all but extinct," Rose stated.

"True, I've never seen one, but rumor has it – " Slater began.

"Not such a rumor," Damon interrupted.

"Mystic Falls?" Slater confirmed

"Werewolf numbers are a bit on the low side, but there's still plenty out there. They just prefer to keep away from vampires and mind their own damn business," Danny smiled brightly.

"God, I've got to visit this place. It sounds awesome," Slater stated excitedly.

"Awesome doesn't even begin to describe it," Damon replied.

"It's a melting pot for the supernatural, unfortunately," Danny sighed.

"Can we stop the curse from being broken at all?" Damon asked, driving the conversation back to one of the main topics at hand.

"What do you mean?" Slater questioned.

"Well, if we rendered the moonstone useless and stopped the curse from being broken."

"Well, yeah, probably. But why would you wanna do that?" Slater replied.

Danny tuned out the rest of their conversation, already having an idea where this was going to go. Slater was too afraid to stand up to an Original, plus he wanted to walk in the sun. Damon would most likely offer a way to make that happen if Slater helped him find a way to nullify the moonstone. With a roll of his eyes, Danny shifted his gaze to stare out the window, lifting his head slightly in surprise when he noticed who was standing across the street staring at them. _Well, Elijah certainly moves fast. Wait, what's that in his hands? Is he throwing coins – oh shit!_

Danny swiftly held out his hands to cover face as the windows exploded all around them. As the sound of sizzling and screaming rent the air, Danny slowly opened his eyes to see a large piece of glass floating inches from his hands. _Am I -?_ His thought stopped abruptly as the shard dropped, shattering on the table. He glanced over to the other side of the street, his eyes meeting Elijah's. _Well... shit._

* * *

Following the disastrous events at the café, Rose, Danny, and Damon hopped in the van and headed back to Mystic Falls. Upon reaching their house, Danny immediately shut himself in his room, hoping he could replicate whatever the hell had happened in the café. Taking a few coins out of his pocket, he set them on top of his desk before hovering a hand over them. _Move. Move. Move. Float... do something._ He repeated in his head over and over again. After three minutes of nothing happening, he gave up, deciding to try another way tomorrow.

He walked to his bed, prepared to flop down on it and go to sleep. Before he could do so however, his phone went off. With a small frown, he took it out, glancing at the unrecognizable number. With a small shrug, he answered it, pressing it tightly to his ear.

"Salvatore hunting services. What can I kill for you today?" Danny smiled, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Give me a week, I'm sure I can come up with a small list," replied an all-too-familiar amused voice on the other end of the phone.

"Elijah! You learned how to use a phone? Gold star for you, buddy," Danny snickered.

"I don't really appreciate the condescension, Daniel," Elijah admonished lightly.

"Well, I don't really appreciate having glass shattered all over me. Cool trick with the coins, by the way. A little show-offy, but I'd give it a solid 8 out of 10 for class and originality," Danny smirked. He then paused for a moment, frowning slightly as he asked, "How did you get this number?"

"I had your new friend look into it for me."

"Well, I guess Slater is dead for realsies now?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

Elijah was silent for a moment, causing Danny to grin wildly as we waited for the man to respond. After a full minute passed, Elijah finally spoke, "You've changed a lot since I last saw you."

"Why did you call me, Elijah?" Danny asked, not acknowledging the man's statement.

There was another long pause before Danny realized that Elijah had hung up. With a small frown, and the smallest of sighs, he placed his phone on the nightstand before flopping his head onto his pillow, hoping to get a decent night's sleep.


	22. Chapter 22: Enochian 101

**Chapter 22: Enochian 101**

 _March 28, 2010_

In the days that followed the run-in with Elijah, Danny dedicated himself more than ever towards figuring out his telekinesis thing. He had tried numerous things after searching the interwebs – meditation, visualization, focusing, etc. But none of them worked. He had then moved on to using another language – seeing as how witches spoke in different tongues to work their spells. The only problem with that, however, was that Danny didn't speak Enochian – except for one phrase, but he was mostly positive that saying 'you breed with the mouth of a goat' wouldn't get him anywhere.

He knew both Castiel and Crowley were rather fluent in the language, but he didn't want to bother them. Mostly because Cassie was in heaven and Crowley was a dick. Fortunately for him, the internet existed. After about half an hour of scrolling, he finally managed to come across a semi-decent English to Enochian site.

Placing a coin on his desk, he hovered his hand over it, taking in a deep breath as he prepared himself. Concentrating heavily on the coin, he said with as much authority as he could muster, " _Zacam_ *."

The coin moved – albeit more violently than Danny had intended, but still. It shot across the desk, flying across the room to embed itself into the wall. Not sure whether to be excited that he moved the coin, or upset because he damaged his wall, Danny began to walk over to the wall to retrieve the item in question, before stopping abruptly. _I could practice a bit more and use my angel mojo to bring it back. Then again... there is a high possibility that could end badly..._

With a small shrug, Danny walked back to the computer, looking up the proper term before turning back to face the coin. Focusing once more on it, he said, " _Niis._ "*

The coin flew out of the wall toward him, allowing Danny to catch it with his outstretched hand. With a wild grin on his face, he flipped the coin in the air a few times before pocketing it. As he was about to go back to his computer to see what other phrases he could look up, he heard a knock at the door. After a second, it opened, revealing his younger brothers.

"We're about to visit Katherine, you coming?" Stefan asked.

"Love to. Why are we visiting her again?"

"Because we need the moonstone to break the spell on it," Damon replied.

"Ordinarily, I would ask why you decided to leave it in the tomb with Katherine in the first place. But, quite frankly, I don't care," Danny paused, fiddling with the coin in his pocket for a moment. "Give me a couple minutes to get some stuff, and I'll be right with you."

* * *

The three brothers made their way down the stairs into the tomb, an air of seriousness surrounding them. Damon and Stefan positioned themselves on either side of the stone slab that sealed Katherine in. Meanwhile, Danny had set his duffel bag on the ground and stood there, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. His brothers had insisted on being the ones to open the tomb – likely not wanting their brother in closer proximity to Katherine than he had to be.

When the door had finally been fully moved out of the way, everything was silent for a moment. Katherine stepped out from a corner, saying, "Please, come in. There's plenty of room for all of us."

"I'd rather poke my eyes out," Damon smiled.

"Mmm, they're such pretty eyes," Katherine replied in a manner that Danny thought was supposed to be flirtatious, but ended up sounding more condescending than anything else.

"If they won't take you up on your offer, I'd be more than happy to keep you company," Danny grinned evilly, taking a step forward. His smile only widened when Katherine took a step back. "Aww, she's afraid of me. That's so cute."

"We're here for the moonstone," Stefan cut in, holding a warning hand out to his oldest brother.

"Feel like tossing it over?" Damon asked, his tone clearly conveying that he highly doubted that she would do so.

"Tell you what. You get your little witch to hocus pocus me out of here, you can have whatever you want," Katherine answered, moving down the wall closer to them when it became apparent that Danny wasn't going to move any closer.

"No deal. I like having you trapped in here – nice and cozy with nowhere to run," Danny smirked.

"Besides, I thought you liked it in here. Nice and safe, where Klaus – not to mention Danny - can't get to you," Stefan stated.

"I've had time to reconsider," Katherine answered, continuing to move closer.

"Meaning you're hungry," Damon translated.

"I'm starving, Damon. And dirty," Katherine paused as Danny snickered before continuing, "But above all, I'm bored. At least running from Klaus isn't boring. So, here's the deal: you get me out of here, you get the moonstone, and I'll disappear from Mystic Falls forever. Let me know what you decide."

The three brothers looked at each other, traces of amusement on all their faces. They all knew there was no way they were letting Katherine out of the tomb – not when they'd worked so hard to get her in there in the first place. The two younger brothers left the tomb soon after that, leaving Danny alone with Katherine.

"Katerina Petrova and Daniel Salvatore – alone together at last," Danny smiled, striding closer to the barrier with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Hmm, sorry, I'm gonna have to disagree with you about that," Katherine grimaced, pulling herself along the wall away from him.

" _Niis_ ," Danny hissed out, throwing his hand out toward her.

Katherine flew toward him, her feet dangling mere inches from the ground. She stopped at the barrier, her body pressed against an invisible wall. I guess it doesn't break through witchy stuff. I'd probably have to break the barrier down first – assuming that's something I can do.

"Sit, stay, have a drink with me," Danny smiled, releasing his hold on her and allowing her to slide down the barrier.

Picking herself up into a sitting position, Katherine stared at him with wide eyes, her hand over her chest. "You – your eyes. How did you – what are you?"

"Oh, my eyes did the glowy thing again? Was it terrifying or just really cool looking? Please tell me it was terrifying," Danny replied excitedly, crouching in front of her, his hands dangling between his legs.

"What are you?" Katherine asked once more, trying to make herself sound threatening.

"You remind me of a kitten trying to be a tiger. A really ugly, really bitchy kitten – but my point still stands," Danny responded, evading her question once more as he rose to his feet.

He walked over to his duffel bag, sifting through the contents. After a moment, he pulled out a water bottle filled to the brim with blood. Tossing it between his hands, he turned around and walked back toward Katherine, shaking the bottle in his hands and smiling as her eyes followed the movement.

"If you want this, you're going to answer some questions for me, Katherine."

"I thought you wanted to torture me, not talk," Katherine replied bitterly.

"You'll come to find that, in some cases, those two can be the same thing," Danny smirked before returning to his crouching position. "What was the name of the demon you made the deal with in 1950?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"So I can send them a fruit basket," Danny replied with a roll of his eyes.

"I don't know his name, just that he had freaky yellow eyes," Katherine replied, eyes locked onto the bottle in his hands.

A Prince of Hell. Damn, and there's no way to track them. At least it's down to three instead of four, makes it a bit easier. Azazel could've made the deal, but there's no guarantee that it was him. Better look for the others, just to make sure. Danny mused thoughtfully, rolling the bottle in between his hands.

"You said they didn't want your nonexistent soul, they only wanted me. You didn't happen to ask why, did you?"

"Does it matter?"

"Not really. It's a moot point at this juncture," Danny shrugged, rising to his feet and tossing Katherine the bottle. "You've been a real peach, bitch."

Katherine eagerly grabbed the bottle as it sailed through the air into her hands. Hands almost shaking, she twisted open the cap, bringing the bottle to her lips. Danny watched her out of the corner of his eyes with feigned disinterest as he packed up his duffel and swung it over his shoulder. _Three. Two. One_. On cue, Katherine started gagging, coughing up the blood she had just ingested. She clutched her throat, light tendrils of smoke escaping her mouth as a sizzling sound filled the air.

 _Oh, vervain. How I love thee._ Danny snickered, making his way back up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time.

* * *

Danny spent the next few hours dedicating his time to either researching the Princes of Hell – whom he had little to no information on, only knowing of their existence due to his time spent in Hell and his adventures with Gabriel. The rest of it was spent learning Enochian – which was a difficult language to learn. He doubted he'd ever become fluent in it, unless he had an actual teacher which, again, he doubted he'd ever get.

While studying, he also put the words he learned into practice – hoping to make the words stick a little better. He had to say, it was going pretty well. He'd shattered a window, and only set his desk on fire three times. _At least it wasn't the bed._ He mused thoughtfully, running a finger along the blackened wood of his desk. He was about to try the fire spell – he couldn't think of any other term for the Enochian magic – again, when he was interrupted by Damon bursting through the door.

"No, please, come in. No need to knock," Danny rolled his eyes.

"I need – is something on fire?" Damon stopped himself abruptly, glancing around as he sniffed the air.

"Not anymore," Danny smiled somewhat sheepishly.

"Riiight. Anyway, Rose took Elena to Richmond. She's trying to give herself over to Klaus."

"And you want me to come with you in case big, bad Klaus shows up?" Danny replied, raising an eyebrow.

"If this is your way of saying no – "

"It's not. Toss me the keys, I'm driving," Danny replied, grabbing his leather jacket off his bed and pulling it on.

Damon stared at his older brother incredulously, perhaps wondering why he was suddenly being so helpful when Elena was in danger. Deciding it was best not to question it until they were on the road, Damon tossed Danny the keys, watching as he deftly caught them in his left hand. Swinging them around his finger for a moment, Danny turned around and walked out of the room, barely sparing a glance behind him to make sure Damon was following.

Upon reaching the car, Danny got into the driver's seat, moving the seat back as he did so to accommodate his longer legs. As Damon got into the seat next to him, Danny changed the station to one that he knew played old rock music. With a small hum and a smile as Warrant's _'Cherry Pie'_ began to play, he shifted the gear to drive before peeling out of the garage.

The two were silent in the car for a while, and it wasn't until Damon tried to change the station that the silence was broken.

"Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cake hole," Danny stated, slapping his brother's hand away.

"It's my car," Damon reminded him.

"So? Who's the driver and who's the shotgun right now?"

"I knew I shouldn't have let you drive."

Danny snickered at this before returning his attention back the road, lazily keeping one finger on the wheel as he drove. Occasionally, he would glance out the side windows as they cruised along, admiring the cars and motorcycles they drove past. _I wonder what happened to my bike. Is it still at the hotel, or has it been scrapped? I'm gonna go with 'scrapped'. Sure am gonna miss it, though._

"So, why did you agree to come?" Damon finally asked when they were a fair enough distance from Mystic Falls.

"I need a reason? I can't just help my brothers and their girlfriend out of the goodness of my heart?" Danny asked, adopting an expression of mock hurt.

"You're just doing it to piss off Klaus, aren't you?" Damon surmised.

"Guilty as charged," Danny snickered, smiling widely.

They were silent once more, neither one of them sure where to take the conversation next. Damon still had more questions to ask, but he was positive his brother wasn't going to give him a straight answer. Danny, for his part, wasn't entirely sure what to talk about with his brother. At one point in time, Danny had felt he was the most similar to Damon – and not just in appearance – making it easy for the two to get along. As time went on, however, the two changed. Danny escaped from hell after spending 1200 years there, became a hunter trained by an archangel/trickster, and eventually turned into some freaky Nephilim-vampire hybrid. And Damon became a relatively selfish dick with some serious emotional baggage after the Whitmore fiasco.

Certainly, there were still a few similarities between the two. They were both snarky, badass vampires. They were both loyal to their brothers. And they both hated Katherine. Danny was sure there might be a few more, but he couldn't think of them.

The two eventually found their way to Richmond, Danny parking just outside of where Slater was holed up. Danny turned to his brother, saying, "Good luck saving your girl."

"You're not coming with?" Damon questioned.

"Not my girl, not my problem. If Klaus shows up, I'll pop by for a rescue mission. Other that, you're on your own, baby bro," Danny stated matter-of-factly.

"Why did I bring you along again?" Damon rolled his eyes, opening his door.

"Because I'm the bright sunshine that lights up your otherwise cloudy day?"

"Not the adjectives I would use to describe you, dick," Damon smirked.

"Love you too, bitch," Danny replied fondly in return, clapping his brother's shoulder.

He watched as Damon exited the car, jogging across the street to Slater's place. After around two minutes of sitting there, doing nothing, Danny took out his phone, figuring he'd look to see if there was a case or something nearby. He searched through local news websites, looking for any suspicious deaths or missing persons cases. After the third site, he was convinced that Richmond was a snooze fest. No mysterious deaths, everyone was home safe and sound. _Monsters are probably laying low for a bit after the apocalypse thing._ He grumbled to himself.

He was about to look at his phone again and play a rousing game of Tetris, when he heard a knocking on his window. He nearly jumped out of his seat, his hand immediately grasping the hilt of his knife. He relaxed somewhat after he noticed it was only Elijah. With a raise of his eyebrows, he rolled the window down slightly out of politeness.

"I'm getting the feeling that you're stalking me now. Should I file a restraining order?" Danny questioned, keeping his face blank, though the twinkling in his eyes betrayed his amusement.

"Perhaps if you kept a better eye on Elena, I wouldn't have to follow you," Elijah replied smoothly, leaning against the car.

"I'm sorry, I think you've got me confused with my brothers. You know, the ones who are in love with her and would do anything to protect her," Danny scoffed with a roll of his eyes. He paused for a moment, pursing his lips in thought before he continued, "I'm guessing your reasons for keeping her safe are the same as mine?"

"That all depends on what your reasons are."

"Screwing over Klaus. Which, now that I think about it, I can just as easily accomplish with Elena dead," Danny mused aloud, smirking slightly as Elijah straightened up, his eyes narrowing warningly. "Relax, I won't kill her, and I won't let her die in front of me. My brothers would never forgive me if I did."

Elijah stared at him for a moment before nodding carefully, his posture relaxing. Silence fell between the two as they struggled to find another topic of conversation. After a moment, Elijah finally stated in a soft tone, "I thought you were dead."

"Yes, for many years now," Danny replied, his lips twitching upward slightly in amusement.

"You left. You let me think you were – "

"I didn't leave, Elijah. You pushed me away. You and Klaus both," Danny cut him off sharply, his eyes narrowed in irritation. "Klaus was convinced that I had led Mikael to New Orleans and Chicago – he was convinced that I had been leaving Mikael breadcrumbs, allowing him to track us. He threatened me – he threatened my brothers. You stood there and, what did you say? Oh, that's right, nothing. I wasn't going to just stick around after that, Elijah. And you are a fool if you thought I would."

Elijah was silent once more, processing his words. The guilt from that day still weighed on him heavily. He was upset with himself for not sticking up for Daniel sooner. When rumors started circulating about his death, Elijah blamed himself – as well as Klaus – for it. He had been convinced that if he had just sided with Daniel, his death could have been avoided. They could have all stayed together – been a highly dysfunctional family once more.

However, it was too late for regrets, and too late for apologies. No amount of apologizing would change what had happened between them. That was a fact both of them could agree on. Without another word, Elijah left, leaving Danny alone in the car. With a small sigh, the vampire massaged his forehead, trying to brush away the lingering sense of irritation and guilt. Fortunately, he was saved from dwelling too much on it when the passenger side doors opened and Damon and Elena slid in.

"Judging by the fact that you're still here and breathing, I'm guessing your suicide attempt failed?" Danny surmised, looking at Elena through the rearview mirror.

Elena threw him a dirty look in response before buckling her seatbelt. Thankfully, Damon saved the situation from becoming unbelievably awkward by saying, "Elijah showed up, and he was still alive and kicking." When Danny didn't seem surprised by this, Damon asked, "Did you know he was alive?"

"Well, considering the fact that I was talking to him five minutes ago - "

"Elijah came out here to talk to you? Why?" Elena asked, cutting him off rather rudely.

"Oh, we were making dinner plans after our Bible Study class next Wednesday. I'm thinking a nice picnic in a field of peonies," Danny smirked, turning the key in the ignition.

"I'm guessing you're the reason why he didn't try to kill me?" Damon asked, already figuring out that his brother wasn't in the best mood and thus would be unwilling to divulge any information.

"Probably. Killing you wouldn't exactly put him in my good graces," Danny paused, his gaze flicking toward Elena briefly. "Believe it or not, I don't think Elijah's the bad guy here – he's certainly not the one you should be worried about, anyhow."

"We know Klaus is dangerous – why do you think I tried to surrender myself to him? I don't want him hurting the people I care about," Elena replied, hoping that at least Danny would understand.

"You see, Elena, the self-sacrificing bullshit might work in books and movies – but this is real life, sweetheart. Those villains aren't Klaus. Klaus is the type of person to kill a house full of people, simply because someone got a tiny stain on his shirt," Danny rolled his eyes, keeping his focus carefully on the road. "The thing is, it won't matter if you sacrifice yourself to Klaus. Even if, by some miracle, everyone just let you go over to him and didn't try to save you, Klaus would still find a reason to kill them. He's a petty son of a bitch."

"Then how do I protect everyone?" Elena asked, desperation in her tone.

"You let them protect you, sweetheart," Danny replied with a sad smile.

* * *

 **A/N: Here's some translations for the Enochian I used:**

 **Zacam: Move/I move you**

 **Niis: Come**


	23. Chapter 23: Mementos

**Chapter 23: Mementos**

 _March 30, 2010_

"Hey, kiddo, how's it hangin'? If you're still watching this, I'm assuming that you're really desperate to talk to me – that or a huge pervert."

Danny gave a dry chuckle and a half-amused, half-sad smile. He was currently watching the DVD that Dean had left him – the one he was positive had to have some sort of message from Gabriel for him. Turns out, he was right. Sure, he had to sit through a couple of hours of bad acting and see parts of Gabriel he never wanted to see again, but it was worth it in the end.

"Now, I know you're probably a weeping, sobbing mess on the floor right about now – I don't blame you," Gabriel smirked at the camera. "But, it's time to pick yourself up and get back in the groove of things, kiddo. Before that," he held up a finger, his face growing more serious. "I think it's time I be more honest with you."

Gabriel took a deep breath, seeming to prepare himself for what he was about to say next. "When I first saw you at that bar in Chicago, I knew who you were. I knew about Alistair and all that other stuff before I came up and talked to you. For a moment, I thought I had my nephew back – until you compelled that guy to get his ass kicked. That was the moment when I realized something important: you weren't Alistair, you were just a dick."

Danny opened his mouth to object, before realizing two things: one, he was right. Two, there was no point arguing with a video recording that was never going to reply back.

"But, the guy had it coming to him – so I figured, what the hell, maybe he's not so bad?" He gave a low whistle. "Boy, was I ever wrong. You had some major – and I mean major – issues. Like, you would make even the best of shrinks lose their marbles. But, hey, I like a challenge and I figured I at least owed it to myself to try and help you out.

"So, I took you out on your first hunt – you did a damn good job, despite what I may have said at the time. And that's when I discovered something: you still had the capacity to do good. You had your humanity turned off – you could've let that kid die, it certainly would have made the job a hell of a lot easier – and you saved him anyway. You made me proud, kiddo."

Danny gave a small sniffle, pausing the tape and rubbing the tears away that were forming at the corner of his eyes. He took a deep breath, letting loose a breathy chuckle. _Get ahold of yourself, Danno. There's still more left on the tape._ He unpaused the video and braced himself for whatever Gabriel had to say next.

"But, enough with the mushy gushy stuff – let's get down to business," Gabriel stated. "I'm not sure where you're at at this point in time – maybe Lucifer has succeeded in turning you into a Nephilim, maybe not. If he has, you've probably noticed a few changes. Glowy eyes, weird powers – things like that. You may have also noticed that using your abilities doesn't come as easy to you as it does to other angels."

Gabriel then explained that, traditionally, Nephilim are born into their power – they grow up using it, and it becomes part of their entire being. Danny, however, did not have that luxury. He was forced to turn into a Nephilim, and his body was still adapting and adjusting to the new transition. There was, fortunately, a way to help the process.

"You have to drink angel blood. It'll help you get control of your abilities – things will be a lot easier. I'm not saying you have to do it, I'm just laying all the info out for ya, kiddo," Gabriel paused, his eyes seeming to look directly at Danny through the screen on his laptop. "Whatever you decide to do, I'm sure you'll make the right choices. I believe in you, kiddo. Good luck, and give'em Hell."

The screen faded to black, prompting Danny to close his computer. He rubbed a hand over his face, processing Gabriel's words over and over in his head. _I need to drink angel blood? How very... Sam Winchester. Except a hell of a lot less demonic. But, the last time I drank angel blood, I almost ended up killing Cas._ He ran some fingers through his hair haphazardly. _Maybe now that I'm a Nephilim, it'll be diff-_ His thoughts were cut off abruptly as he heard the breaking of glass coming from downstairs. _What the hell?_

He leapt from his chair, running out of his room and down the hall, making his way quickly down the stairs. He stopped abruptly in the living room, frowning at the wolf who was snarling at Damon – who was holding a sword – and Rose – who was laying on the floor, clutching her bloody shoulder. Without another second of hesitation, he vamped over and kicked the wolf out of the window.

"What happened?" Danny questioned once he was sure the wolf wasn't coming back.

"The werewolf busted through the window and tried to eat me, but Rose got in the way," Damon explained. He looked over Rose's injured shoulder – which was currently healing. "Guess it's a good thing the whole 'fatal werewolf bite' thing is a myth."

Danny didn't comment on his statement, knowing for a fact that the bite of a werewolf was fatal to a vampire. With a small sigh, he turned around and exited the room, headed toward the front door. After telling Damon he was going for a walk to clear his head, he stepped outside, putting his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

He heaved a small sigh before walking down the driveway, headed towards town. He spared a brief glance upward towards the moon, wondering for a second if he should be worried about werewolves on the prowl tonight. With a small shake of his head and the smallest of smiles, he continued on his way, paying no heed to where his feet were taking him.

An hour passed before he aimlessly wandered over to the ruins of the old church. He frowned for a moment, debating whether or not he should descend the steps and visit Katherine. With a small shrug, he made his way down, his steps echoing in the enclosed space as he made his way toward the entrance of the tomb. There, he found Katherine, who immediately backed away at his approach.

"You seem more terrified of me than normal," Danny noted, walking closer. "Not that that's a bad thing – it really brightens up my night, actually."

Katherine continued to back away before finally turning and running off. What the hell? Danny raised an eyebrow, stepping closer to the doorway. He examined it closely and found nothing. That was a problem. There was supposed to be a barrier keeping vampires in. _That explains the terror. But why hasn't she left?_ He pondered, strolling into the cavern. _Unless she can't. Maybe she's been compelled not to leave? But the only ones who can do that at the moment are Klaus and Elijah, and I think I know who left her here..._

"Judging by the fact that you're not screaming in unbearable agony – well, not at the moment anyway. I'm guessing Elijah was the one who compelled you to stay here," Danny inferred, turning a corner.

Silence was all that greeted him. He narrowed one eye, pursing his lips as he strained his ears. After a moment, he heard it – the rapid pitter patter of a terrified heart. I didn't think she had one of those. Danny snickered quietly to himself.

As quietly and stealthily as possible, Danny made his way through the caverns towards where he knew Katherine was trying to hide. He managed to creep up behind her, tapping her shoulder and smiling as she swiftly turned around and tried to back away. She only made it a couple steps before Danny grabbed her by the neck and slammed her into the wall of the cave.

"Now, I get that Elijah was the one to compel you to stay here, but that still leaves one mystery unsolved: why is the barrier down, Katherine?" Danny asked in a relatively pleasant manner.

Katherine grabbed at his fingers, struggling to get air into her lungs. Danny relaxed his grip slightly, allowing her to speak.

"To let Stefan out," she gasped out.

Danny's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, a frown forming on his face. _Stefan was in here? Damon said he went to talk to a friend of Lexi's... that lying son of a bitch._ With a small sigh, Danny released her, allowing her to crumple unceremoniously on the floor. He watched as her chest heaved up and down, her hand reaching up to massage her throat.

"Any other day, I'd be torturing you until Judgement Day when the trumpet sounds. Fortunately for you, you've caught me in a semi-decent mood, so I'll let you go," Danny paused, grinning maliciously. "I'd be careful in these caves, though, if I were you. You never know what sort of booby trap may lie in wait for an unsuspecting vampire such as yourself."

Patting her lightly on the head, he turned around and strode out of the tomb, head held high. That should keep her nice and paranoid for awhile.

Upon returning home a half hour later, Danny found Damon and Rose canoodling on the couch. He prepped himself to walk over to his younger brother and start grilling him for information, but stopped when he noticed that they were staring Rose's shoulder – which was looking ten kinds of grody and disgusting. With a small grimace, Danny figured he'd let his brother slide – for the time being.

After hearing the front door open and close, Damon looked up, beckoning his brother over swiftly with a wave of his hand. Danny complied quickly, though he was reluctant to do so. He didn't want to be the one to tell his little brother that he was about to lose his bed buddy.

"Is there anything we can do about it?" Damon questioned.

Danny opened his mouth to say 'no' before closing it, gritting his teeth. Damon stared at him, his face half-hopeful, awaiting his older brother's response. Danny fidgeted his fingers slightly in thought. _There's no cure for a werewolf bite but..._ He stared down at his hand. _Maybe a little angel mojo will work?_

With a mixture of resolve and trepidation, he held his right hand over Rose's injured shoulder. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and summoning the power that slept within him. Opening his eyes, he could tell that they were glowing with power – if Damon's shocked expression was anything to judge by.

" _Eol saga*_ ," Danny whispered.

A bright light began to glow from his hand, prompting Damon to turn away and shield his eyes. Danny, however, stayed focused, his eyes narrowed slightly, never leaving Rose's wound. At first, it seemed as though nothing was happening. After a moment, however, Danny began to feel a headache coming on, almost making him lose concentration. With a small shake of his head, he pushed forward, trying to draw as much power from within himself as he could.

The infection slowly but surely began to dissipate, his headache growing as it did so. He began to feel something running down his face, but was too focused on the task at hand to see what it was. His vision began to blur around the edges, and he could feel his energy draining fast.

Finally realizing that these were all bad signs, he quickly severed the connection to his magic, panting heavily and gripping the back of the couch tightly. He raised a shaking hand to his face, touching one of the wet spots. Pulling his hand back, he frowned at the blurry redness that was on his fingertips. _Well, that can't be good._ He managed to think before everything went dark.

* * *

He opened his eyes what felt like seconds later, finding himself face up on the ground outside his home, the sun shining down on him. He gave a small sniff as a light breeze caused the blades of grass to tickle his face. Everything was quiet for a moment, until he heard the soft approach of footsteps. He turned his head slightly to the side, spotting a small figure approach him.

It was a boy who appeared to be no older than eight. He had light brown hair, with bangs that swept softly over his icy blue eyes. He wore a grey shirt and cargo pants, his feet remained bare as they seemed to ghost over the ground. He stopped a couple feet from Danny, crouching down and staring down at him thoughtfully. Now that he was closer, Danny could spot the light freckles that dusted over the boy's nose and over his cheeks.

"Why are you still on the ground?" The boy asked.

"That... is a very good question," Danny responded after a moment, pulling himself up to a sitting position.

The two stared at each other for a moment in complete silence. Danny couldn't tell if it was awkward or not – and that was beginning to freak him out. After much internal debate of whether or not he should be the first to speak, he was saved the trouble when the boy asked, "Wanna play chess with me?"

"I...uh...sure?" Danny replied in a perplexed tone.

The boy gave a small smile before grabbing one of Danny's hands and pulling on it, helping him to his feet. Danny followed behind the kid, torn between wariness and amusement. _Please tell me there isn't going to be some 'Children of the Corn' bullshit going on._ To his immense relief, however, they made it to a nearby picnic table that had a chess board already set up. The kid sat on the side where the black pieces were set up, leaving Danny to the white side.

The boy stared at him expectantly, watching as Danny slowly lowered himself into his seat. After a moment, he silently moved a pawn forward, beginning the game.

"So, I get that this is all in my head – but who are you supposed to be?" Danny questioned.

"I'm nobody," the kid replied, moving his own pawn forward. He was silent for a moment before he continued, "For someone as old as you are, you don't have many memories."

" _Pardonne?_ What do you mean?" Danny frowned, moving his bishop.

"Those books on your bookshelves – they contain your memories. I got bored and read through them. I get really lonely all by myself."

Danny narrowed his eyes at the kid, who remained focused on the chess board. Who the hell is this kid? He wondered to himself.

After deciding that the kid would most likely evade his questions, he decided to reply, "The books are happy memories. I keep the bad ones in a vault of things I'd rather not think about."

"Like your time in Hell?" The boy moved his knight. "You know, you really should talk to someone about that. Keeping it all trapped inside is severely detrimental to your mental and emotional health."

"Who the hell are you, kid? What am I doing here?" Danny snapped, his patience vanishing instantly.

The kid glanced down at the chessboard before sighing and shaking his head. He seemed almost regretful as he turned his gaze up to meet Danny's – though the hybrid figured that was because he knew they wouldn't finish their chess game.

"You overloaded yourself. Your body wasn't equipped to use all that power – especially not in the manner you used it. If you continue to do so, you might die," the boy explained.

"I didn't have any problems before - " Danny began.

"You only used it in short spurts, and your vampire blood healed any injuries your body sustained from using your power," the boy explained in a bored tone.

"That still doesn't explain why I'm here – or why you are, for that matter," Danny persisted.

The boy raised his eyebrows slightly, the only indication of surprise that he gave as he responded, "I would have thought that would be obvious. This is your safe haven – the place you go to when you can't handle what's going on in the real world. It saved you in hell, and it's saving you now."

Danny opened his mouth to repeat his question of who the hell was this kid, but was forestalled when the boy raised his hand for silence. The kid seemed to contemplate him for a moment, his head tilted to the side slightly in thought as though considering how to respond.

After a moment, the boy said, "I can't tell you who I am, because I'm not anybody yet. All you need to know is that I'm here to help. I'm healing you – it's difficult from this distance, but I'm doing it." He paused, pursing his lips as he did so. "I won't be able to help you again after this. So, if you're planning on continuing down this path – using your angel abilities – you need to listen to Gabriel."

"And do what? Bite the proverbial bullet and drink angel blood?" Danny responded in a bitter tone, to which the kid nodded. "I'm not sure if you noticed, kid, but me and angel blood don't exactly mix well. I have a tendency to try to kill whoever I drink."

"Then do better. Last time I checked, Daniel Salvatore doesn't back down from a challenge," the child replied, the smallest of smirks twisting its way onto his face.

Danny narrowed his eyes at the boy once more, the muscles on his face spasming sporadically as he fought to contain his snarl. He took a moment to take a deep breath, closing his eyes as he did so. Exhaling slowly, he opened his eyes to see that the kid was no longer there. _Maybe he was just a physical representation of my subconscious telling me what I needed to know? It's certainly a possibility – even if its never happened before._ He gave a small frown, scratching the back of his head in thought.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Enochian Translations:**

 **Eol: make, made**

 **Saga: one, entire, whole**

 **So, essentially, 'Eol Saga' would mean "make whole." Closest I could get to "be healed".**


	24. Chapter 24: Sanctuary

**Chapter 24: Sanctuary**

 _April 3rd, 2010_

Danny let loose a small groan as his eyes flickered open, taking in the darkened ceiling of what he quickly realized was his bedroom. He sat up slightly, his hand clutching his head as a sharp pain shot through it. He rubbed it lightly, sighing with relief as the pain faded. Glancing around, he spotted his phone on his nightstand and picking it up. He frowned slightly at the date, April 3rd, before noting the numerous missed calls from Bobby. With a small shrug, he decided to call him back later before swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

Rising to his feet, he took a moment to make sure he was steady before walking to his bedroom door and opening it. He paused, frowning as he heard a variety of voices coming from downstairs. With a small sigh and a roll of his eyes, he made his way through the hall and down the stairs. He paused as he entered the dining room, his lips twitching slightly as he fought to suppress his amusement at everyone staring at him wide-eyed in surprise. His gaze skimmed over Alaric, Damon, John, and a couple of chicks before finally coming to rest on Elijah.

He was silent for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. After a second of thought, he finally settled on, "Your hair looks ridiculous."

Elijah seemed taken aback only for a moment before responding with an amused smile, "At least I don't look like I live under a bridge."

Danny took a moment to look down at his rumpled dress shirt and frayed jeans before shrugging and giving the 'fair enough' expression. He pulled a chair over from the side of the room and brought it over to the end of the table. Taking his seat, he glanced around at everyone who continued to stare at him. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed an empty wine glass and poured liberal amounts of his second favorite red liquid into it.

"You know, it's quite rude to stare," Danny commented, waving his glass around in a circular motion under his nose so as to savor the aroma.

"Sorry, but, who are you?" Asked a rather pretty red headed woman.

"Daniel Salvatore. Oldest of the Salvatore brothers. And who might you two lovely young ladies be?" Danny gave his most charming smile as he took a long drought of wine.

"I'm Jenna Sommers – Elena's aunt," the red head replied.

"Andie Star, newscaster for the WPKW9," the brunette stated.

Danny stared at her blankly for a moment. _That's a lot of letters_. He shook himself, regaining his smile as he replied, " _Enchanté, Mesdames_."

"Ooh, you speak French?" Andie asked, an intrigued expression on her face.

" _Oui_. I lived in New Orleans for awhile and picked it up," Danny responded nonchalantly. He swirled the contents of his glass around for a moment before adding on, "I can speak quite a few languages, but French and Latin are by far my favorites."

"I'm surprised you left a busy place like New Orleans for a small town like Mystic Falls," Jenna commented.

Danny gave a small shrug, taking a small sip of his drink as he did so.

"To be perfectly honest, I've never been entirely fond of staying in one place for too long. I prefer traveling around."

"For someone who enjoys traveling, you sure have made quite the home for yourself here," John said in what he thought was an innocent tone.

Danny narrowed his eyes sharply at him, half tempted to cut the fingers off of his other hand. After deciding that it wouldn't be polite to do so in front of his other guests, he said, "Well, you see, Johnny boy, I have a little something called 'loyalty to my family.' A concept that, I'm sure, still eludes you. So, yes, I love traveling, but I love my brothers more."

"Aw, Danny, you're making me feel all warm and tingly inside," Damon smirked, placing a hand over his heart.

Danny narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling that Damon had lied to him about Stefan's whereabouts not too long ago. He took a long sip of his wine, debating whether or not now was an appropriate time to bring it up. Ultimately, the decision was made for him when he heard a knocking at the door. He drained the last of his wine before rising from his seat, telling everyone else he'd be back. Opening the front door, he was surprised to see Castiel standing there, looking a bit tired and worn down.

"Danny, you look well," Castiel stated, giving a strained smile.

"Cas? What're you – wait. Did you just call me 'Danny'?" Danny asked, thrown momentarily off-balance.

"Yes, I believe that is sobriquet you are referred to by everyone else," the angel paused for a moment. "If it makes you uncomfortable I can - "

"No, no. It's fine," Danny assured him, stepping outside and closing the door behind him. "I guess I'm just used to you calling me Daniel and I, uh..." He nervously scratched the back of his head, licking his lips and looking around, placing his hands on his hips. He cleared his throat before asking, "Is there something you needed, Cas?"

"Yes. I need your help fighting against Raphael. He plans on releasing Lucifer and Michael from the cage and resuming the apocalypse," Castiel stated without preamble.

Danny blinked at him slowly, processing his words. After a moment, he smiled widely, saying, "Count me in, what's the plan?"

Cas narrowed his eyes, a little suspicious of Danny – by all accounts, one of the most difficult people he had ever met, not counting the Winchesters. He had expected more of a fight – arguments, deals being made, things of that nature. What he had not expected was for him to offer his help so quickly, with barely a second's thought.

"Just like that?" Castiel questioned.

"Just like that," Danny confirmed moving past him to step more fully into the outside. He paused for a moment before turning around, tapping his chin lightly in thought. Finally coming to a decision, he raised a finger, saying, "There is one little thing I'd like to request."

Castiel seemed to relax slightly at these words. Perhaps his judgement of Danny's character wasn't as far off base as he thought it was. He clasped his hands behind his back, saying, "What is it?"

Danny frowned for a moment before saying they should move the discussion somewhere else – he didn't want his brother and his sire to know all his business quite yet. Cas agreed rather quickly, teleporting them to a location of Danny's choosing.

They found themselves in front of a modest, heavily warded beach house overlooking a beach on Assateague Island. Danny walked over to the small gate, running his fingers over it and mumbling a few words as he did so. After a moment, he nodded and opened it, allowing Cas to step through and walk up the steps into the house.

He glanced around the wide-open room, no walls separating the kitchen, living room, and dining area. Everything was a very clean white color, something Castiel found soothing – it reminded him a bit of Heaven, actually. There was a set of spiral stairs off in the corner of the room, and a grand piano sitting in the middle of the spacious area. In front of him was a wall made entirely of windows and a glass door, looking toward the beach. If he listened carefully enough, he could hear the soothing sounds of the waves lapping on the shore.

Cas turned around, looking at Danny as he observed the home with a peaceful expression he had never seen before. Though somewhat reluctant to disturb the hybrid, he had to ask, "What is this place?"

"I call it Sanctuary. Gabriel helped me set it up," Danny paused grief flashing through his eyes before the briefest moment before continuing, "I built this place, but Gabe did the warding. No supernatural being can enter through the gate without my permission – which can be retracted at any time. Nobody can hear us outside the walls of this house. You're more than welcome to stay here if you ever feel overwhelmed by the war efforts."

Cas nodded carefully, appreciating the offer, but unsure if he would ever be able to take him up on it. After a moment, he cleared his throat, asking, "What was the request you had?"

"Ah, yes, that. I, uh, finally watched the video Gabe made. He had a lot to say..." Danny went on to explain everything the archangel had said, admitting his own trepidations about drinking angel blood. When everything had been explained, he remained silent, awaiting Cassie's response.

"What would you do if I refused to give you angel blood?" Cas questioned.

"I'd still help you. Although, a vampiric Nephilim is a lot more useful than an ordinary – albeit extraordinarily handsome and charming – vampire. Still, it's your choice," Danny replied carefully, walking into the kitchen to pour himself a drink.

Castiel watched him carefully, seeming to consider his request. After a moment he finally said, "I'll agree to it on one condition: you only drink my blood. I won't have you harm the other angels. Besides, I'm not entirely sure they'll approve of..." He trailed off, gesturing at Danny, seeming unable to find any words that wouldn't insult him.

"My drinking blood? The fact that I'm practically Lucifer's son? That I'm a Nephilim – an abomination? Cas, I literally couldn't care less what the angels think of me," Danny paused, taking a long sip of his drink as he considered his next words carefully. "Your thoughts are the only ones I care about. If this whole situation makes you uncomfortable, just let me know at any time, and I'll stop drinking angel blood."

Again, Castiel was caught by surprise by the hybrid's attitude. In the past, he would've just continued drinking his blood, with no regard for how Cas felt about the matter. And he certainly would never have cared about the Seraphim's thoughts about him.

The angel narrowed his eyes and stepped forward, the kitchen counter being the only thing that separated the two. "You've changed."

"You know, you're the second person who's said that to me. Honestly, you make it sound like it's a bad thing," Danny rolled his eyes, taking another sip of his drink. Castiel continued to stare at him, and Danny had to stop himself from shifting uncomfortably. Finally, Danny relented and said, "You know that little voice inside your head that tells you when you're doing something wrong?"

"You're hearing voices?"

"Yes-no... maybe. Look, I'm talking about your conscience - "

"You don't have one."

Danny stared at him for a moment before saying, "Rude." He paused, taking a drink before continuing, "Also very true. I think. See, I might've been stretching my new angelic abilities a little too far, without any regard of how they could physically damage me. Long story short, I passed out for a few days and met a kid – not sure if he was a physical representation of my subconscious, or my conscience or something – and he, uh, told me a few things."

"Such as?" Castiel questioned when Danny got quiet.

"Such as following Gabe's advice wouldn't be the worst idea in the world," Danny replied, looking down at his glass and swilling the liquid around. "And that I should probably talk to someone about my time in hell."

He sensed Castiel grow rigid, and could feel the burning heat of his gaze boring into him. Danny frowned slightly, determined not to look at him, not even when he heard Cas softly say, "You went to hell?"

He gave the smallest of nods.

"How long?" Cas questioned.

Danny felt a muscle in his face twitch as he took another drink. Talking about it was so much easier when he was pissed off and murderous. But here... in Sanctuary... he couldn't bring himself to feel any of those things. It was part of the warding, after all. Strong, negative emotions like anger and hate couldn't form here, it was one of the things that made this place so peaceful.

He felt Cas lean in closer to him and ask once more, "How long were you in Hell?"

"January 17, 1950 to January 18, 1960," Danny finally answered, keeping his gaze away.

"1200 years? You were in Hell for 1200 years?" Cas confirmed, watching as Danny nodded slowly. "Does anyone else know?"

"Katherine Pierce and my brothers do, but I never really went in depth and discussed it with them. I was feeling...agitated at the time."

"Did you ever discuss it with Gabriel?"

"No. We both knew I had been there, but Gabriel was more focused on helping me regain my humanity than talking about my time in Hell," Danny took a small sip of his drink, cringing slightly as he recalled his behavior toward the archangel.

"...I'm not sure if I'm the one you should discuss it with. Perhaps Dean -" Cas began to suggest.

"No," Danny replied sharply, meeting Castiel's gaze for the first time. He paused, shaking his head as he said, "Dean doesn't need a reminder of what he's been through. He's on the road to recovery – leading a normal life. Let's leave him there."

"Then why tell me? And why now?"

"Sanctuary is... different from any place you've ever been to, Cas. It dampens negative emotions – anger, hatred, rage. And compels the truth. I can't lie – not to myself, and not to you," Danny paused, taking a sip of drink again. "Not that I'd be able to lie to you anyway, but still."

"That's most likely due to Alistair's influence. He was an angel of justice and truth, after all," Castiel informed him.

Danny gave a frown at this tidbit of information, not overly fond of being forced to tell people the truth. He thought back to some of his previous conversations since he became a Nephilim and gave a small smile when he realized sarcasm didn't technically count as lying. _Well, at least my entire life isn't ruined... And, with any luck, I won't be forced to constantly tell the truth. That would be a bitch and a half to deal with._

"That's beside the point, Cassie. The point is is that I need to face what happened to me in Hell – and come to terms with it," Danny added as an afterthought.

"And you think I'm the best one to talk to about this?"

"Yes," Danny answered without a second of hesitation, prompting the angel to raise his eyebrows incredulously. "You've never lied to me, Cas. You're always upfront and honest – though that probably has more to do with the fact that you're an angel with very little understanding about how human interaction, particularly those involving any sort of trauma, works." He paused as Cas tried to work out whether or not the hybrid was insulting him. "You're the only person I can trust not to blab my secrets or look at me any differently than you are now." He paused again, looking out the window as the first glimpses of the sun began to appear above the horizon. "We don't have to talk about it right now. It's your decision whether or not you want to listen. Besides, I've got Original vampires coming to town soon, I can't afford to have an emotional breakdown or whatever."

"So... you want to wait?"

"Yes," Danny confirmed, staying silent for a moment. "Stay as long as you want here, Cas. I need some time off from Mystic Falls, and I could use the company."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **I wanted to say this in the last chapter, but was in a bit of a rush to get it out - computer issues and time restraints, y'know? But I want to give a shout out and a huge thank you to Peetato1989 for their review on my story. It may not have seemed like much, but it meant a lot getting some feedback and interest in my story - and it motivated me to finish writing up to the end of season 2 of TVD (you'll still have to wait for the chapters to be publish, ya'll ;) ).**

 **Reviews like that are what make me keep writing. Constant posting about 'when are you going to update' and 'update please' really convinces me to do the opposite. I feel pressured and stressed when I see that, and it makes me reluctant to write. So, if you're going to post a review, don't post one telling me to update. Criticisms and praises are cool - badgering me is not.**

 **From this point on, I will endeavor to respond to reviews - unless told otherwise by the poster.**

 **So, without further ado, here is my response to you, sir/madam Peetato1989:**

 **Thank you so much for the review! I've always been interested in the dynamic between Elijah and Danny - and I don't think you'll be disappointed with what their relationship ends up being ;). As for Klaus...he's, shall we say, complicated. Not even Danny is sure where he stands with our favorite (almost) hybrid. It's very interesting to write, considering Klaus and Danny have similar personalities -minus the paranoia on Danny's part and the mild insanity on Klaus'.**


	25. Chapter 25: Pleasant Surprises

**Chapter 25: Pleasant Surprises**

 _April 10, 2010_

Danny wobbled a bit as Castiel transported him in front of the Boarding House, still unused to the rapid transportation. He dusted off the sleeves of his black leather jacket, despite the fact that there was nothing on it. He then gave a small salute as Cas disappeared, giving a tiny nod as he did so. Danny checked the inside pocket of his jacket, making sure the vials of angel blood were still there. Relaxing slightly, he walked to the front door and into the house, softly closing the door behind him. Unfortunately, no matter how softly he closed it, a vampire could still hear it.

"Where've you been?" Asked a voice behind him.

Danny turned around, seeing Stefan standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, mouth turned down in a frown, forehead brooding. Danny glanced around him to see Damon and Elena sitting on separate couches, staring at him as though he had just interrupted an important conversation. Which he probably had.

Danny debated briefly whether or not he should respond sarcastically but instead chose to be upfront for once and say, "Sanctuary."

Stefan mouthed the word, his face growing confused, as did Elena's. Damon's expression, however, seemed to clear up immensely, understanding seeming to dawn on him. Danny strode past his youngest brother, headed toward the key rack. His fingers danced over the keys before he picked the one in the middle. He turned around, swinging the key on his finger to see the three staring at him with harsh expressions on their faces.

"I just recalled – where's Elijah?" Danny asked, forestalling their comments and or questions.

"He left. Where're you -" Damon began.

"Oh, you mean how Stefan _left_ to go see a friend of Lexi's?" Danny cut him off, eyes narrowing sharply.

Both brothers looked away, seeming to find something interesting in the walls and floors of the house. Elena, however, continued to look confused – which led Danny to believe she wasn't aware of the story the younger Salvatores had cooked up.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," he stated in a smug tone. He then paused, turning to face Elena with a thoughtful expression on his face. After a moment, he pointed at her and said, "You're coming with me."

"What?" The two brothers replied incredulously.

"Why on earth would I want to go anywhere with you?" Elena questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Because, between me and Klaus, I'm less likely to kill you," he paused again, sighing and rolling his eyes when she still seemed unconvinced. "Look, I have some business I need to take care of and I could use the company. I'd rather not spend an entire car ride in awkward silence or yelling like I would be with my brothers."

"Where are you trying to take her?" Stefan asked.

"Sioux Falls, South Dakota," Danny replied, twirling around Damon's keys. "Bobby won't stop calling me, so I figured I'd go up there and see what's got his knickers in a twist. Give Ric an update on his sister while I'm at it."

"You don't even like Elena," Damon stated bluntly.

"True. But I also enjoy pissing off Klaus. Getting Elena out of town and out of his grubby little hands for a bit will do just that," the hybrid grinned.

The three looked at each other for a moment, having a silent conversation amongst themselves. Danny twirled Damon's car keys around his index finger, now and again tapping the imaginary watch on his left wrist. They finally seemed to come to a conclusion when Elena rolled her eyes and grabbed her coat, walking past Danny and at the door. Danny gave his brothers a wide smile and raised his eyebrows before walking out the door after her.

Danny jogged over to Damon's car, opening the passenger side door and holding it open for Elena. The teenager gave him a wary look before getting inside, strapping on her seat belt as he closed the door. He slid over the hood of the car to the driver's side, getting in and strapping on his own seatbelt before plugging the key into the ignition and turning it. Elena stared at him, a mixture of surprise and curiosity on her face.

"What?" Danny asked as he put the car in drive.

"Nothing...I've just never seen a vampire wear a seatbelt," Elena remarked with a shake of her head.

"Well, gotta set a good example for the vulnerable female teenage human," Danny grinned, putting on his sunglasses and pulling out of the driveway.

They were quiet after that as they rolled through town. Elena seemed unsure of what to do or say, whereas Danny was just content to quietly observe the doppelgänger. He noted with some amusement that she continually sent him sideways glances, her brown eyes questioning and wary – not to mention very unsure of him.

It was only after they had left Mystic Falls well behind them that Danny finally said, "What's on your mind, Gilbert?"

"Nothing...just...something Isobel said to me the other day," Elena finally said, looking out the window.

"Isobel? Your birth mum?" Danny confirmed, receiving a nod in return. "What did she say?"

"That...that you couldn't be trusted – that you'd choose the Originals over us."

"Oh? And why on Earth would I ever do that?" the hybrid questioned, raising an eyebrow and giving an amused half-smile.

"Because of Lukas," she replied.

Danny's hands tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white as his brow furrowed. His lips pressed themselves into a thin line, eyes narrowing as they glowed icy blue for a moment. After a moment, he forced himself to relax, releasing the tension in his muscles as he slowly exhaled, giving a small hum as he did so.

"So, she knows about Lukas? That crafty bitch," Danny murmured before saying in a louder tone, "What exactly did she say about Lukas?"

"Nothing really. Just that you were more loyal to the Originals because of him," Elena finally turned to look at him. "Who is Lukas?"

"Lukas is... complicated, to say the least. Only myself, the Originals, and one other know about him," Danny replied. "Which makes it surprising that Isobel knows... Although, now that I really think about it, it's not unlikely that Katherine knows either. I believe she might've met him on a few occasions."

"Okay, so who is he?" Elena persisted.

Danny turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow as he asked, "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then give me your necklace," he responded, turning back to the road and holding out his hand.

"Why?" Elena asked, clutching her necklace tightly.

"Because, this is super-secret information that could possibly put the lives of yourself and my brothers more at risk than they already are – and I want to make sure I can either compel you not to tell or to forget when we're done here," Danny answered simply, giving a 'hand it over' motion with his hand.

Elena hesitated for a moment before unclasping the necklace and putting it in the hybrid's hand. Danny pocketed it before saying, "Lukas was Elijah's son before he became a vampire."

"Wait, what? Elijah had a son?" Elena asked, disbelief evident in her voice.

"Yep," Danny answered, popping the 'p'. "He's also the reason Elijah saved my life and turned me. Apparently, I resemble him greatly – an exact copy, some might say. Of course, I only discovered this years later after I caught Kol in a good mood."

"So, what, you're a doppelgänger too?"

"No. Just... it's complicated, and I don't really feel the need to go into it, Elena," Danny replied, his tone making it apparent that the subject was not open for further discussion.

The two were quiet for a few minutes before Elena asked, "What's 'Sanctuary'?"

"Sanctuary is a house my...," he stopped for a moment, gathering himself. "...my Uncle Gabriel and I built. It's heavily warded – no supernatural being can enter without my permission."

"I didn't know you guys had an uncle. Is he a vampire too?" Elena questioned, her tone full of curiosity.

"No, he's - was – an archangel," Danny replied, receiving a look of skepticism and disbelief in return. "It's complicated to explain, so I'll keep this short: yes, archangels exist. I'm actually a descendant/reincarnation of the archangel Alistair – the son of Lucifer. Yes, the Devil exists too, he's locked up in a cage with Michael – my other uncle – at the moment."

"That's - that's insane. You're joking, right?" Elena stammered, prompting the hybrid to turn his head slightly to look at her, lowering his sunglasses a bit to reveal glowing eyes. She gave a gasp before he pulled them back up and turned back to the road. Only after she had managed to collect herself did she finally ask, "Wait, so are Stefan and Damon descendants of... Lucifer too?"

"No...my mother was, though," Danny replied, receiving a questioning look in return. "Damon and Stefan are my half-brothers – same dad, different mum. My birth mother died when I was born, so I didn't know anything about my heritage until last September."

"Do Stefan and Damon know?"

"About me being Lucifer's son? No, and I aim to keep it that way. That's an apocalypse sized can of worms that I don't want them getting involved in," he replied succinctly, reaching up with his right hand to rub the amulet around his neck. "Don't know if you've noticed, Elena, but we've got enough drama going about without adding mine in too."

"That's fair, I guess," Elena conceded. "Did you ever meet him – Lucifer, I mean."

"Oh, yeah. Met him last September – and I've met him on several different occasions since then. Fortunately, he's locked in a cage – built by God – in Hell, and they don't allow visitation."

"What was he like?"

"Likeable. Snarky. Sassy. Funny – a lot like me, I noticed. We caught on pretty well for the most part, until he killed Gabriel and I had to help shove his ass back in the cage. Other than that, swell guy. I'd hang with him," Danny admitted, giving Elena a crazed grin.

Elena just gave him an appalled look in return, prompting the hybrid to laugh uproariously.

* * *

The next day, they finally arrived at Bobby's early in the morning. Danny felt that they had made pretty good time – only having to stop for gas, snacks, and a few bathroom breaks. Other than that, they had remained on the road – since Danny had no need for sleep and Elena could sleep just as well in the car. She was currently doing so when Danny pulled up in front of Bobby's house, his shoulders pensive and his jaw set.

He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, pulling out one of the vials of Cas' blood. He unstoppered it before bringing it to his lips, pouring the liquid into his mouth and down his throat. Immediately, he felt an influx of power – not as much as he had felt when he had drank archangel blood, but still. The euphoric feeling flooded through his veins once more, eliciting a small moan from the vampire. He closed his eyes, savoring the flavor and the feeling as he slowly inhaled and exhaled, trying to regain control of himself.

When he had done so, he reached over and gently nudged Elena awake, nodding his head over at the house when she looked at him sleepily. She gave the house an unimpressed look before exiting the car with Danny and walking up to the door with him. The hybrid raised his hand, knocking loudly three times. After a minute, he heard grumbles on the other side of the door. He smiled genially when Bobby opened the door, his expression not faltering even when the man threw holy water on him.

"Bobby, you know demons can't possess me," Danny replied, amusement evident in voice.

"I was hoping you would at least sizzle a bit," he responded with a shrug before looking at Elena. "Who's this?"

"Starting to get the feeling you don't like me very much, Bobert," Danny rolled his eyes. "Bobby, this is Elena Gilbert – a doppelgänger from Mystic Falls. Elena, this is Bobby Singer – a crusty old hunter who helped us stop the apocalypse."

"A doppelgänger? Can't say I've met one of you before," Bobby admitted, eyeing her curiously.

Danny cleared his throat abruptly, bringing the attention back onto him as he asked, "Bobby, why were you calling me?"

"Right, that. We have a... situation that you need to deal with. It's upstairs," Bobby stated hesitantly, opening the door a bit wider and stepping aside to let the vampire in.

Danny frowned, his brow furrowed as he walked into the house. _A situation? What's he on about?_ He strained his hearing as he made his way up the stairs, able to make out two heartbeats. _One's Karen, who's the other? Perhaps some sort of monster that Bobby's got trapped? An angel, perhaps? Maybe he got Sam back somehow and he came out weird?_

His curiosity now officially piqued, he jogged up the stairs, taking them two at a time before arriving at the top, making his way down the hall and stopping at a door. _There's two people inside, guess we'll find out what the 'situation' is._ He grabbed the doorknob, twisting it and pushing the door open, revealing Karen laying on the bed, reading a book. She looked up at his entrance, excitement and nervousness mingling on her face as she closed the book and rose from the bed, walking over to meet him.

"Danny! You're...here," she said nervously.

"Yeah, nice to see you, Kare," he flashed a small smile before glancing around the room, eyes narrowed slightly. "Where's the other guy?"

"'Other guy'?" Karen repeated questioningly.

"Yeah, I heard two heartbeats on my way up. I know one of them is you, but where's the other? Are they hiding?" his eyes widened excitedly as a sharp gasp escaped him. "Are they invisible? Am I dealing with an invisible dude? Or, maybe it's a - "

"No, Danny," she interrupted him. She took a sharp breath before continuing, "It's here. The other heartbeat is right here."

"I know it's right - ," he stopped, his gaze following hers to her stomach. Immediately, his expression fell. "Oh, well, uh...congratulations. Who's the father?"

She gave him a look of disbelief as she asked, "Who do you think?"

"I don't know, Bobby?"

She reached up and smacked the back of his head.

"No, you dumbass, it's you."

"Oh, well why didn't you just -," he stopped abruptly, eyes widening comically as he realized what she just said. "Wait, what? That's impossible, vampires can't procreate!"

"But you're not just a vampire anymore, are you?" she countered.

Danny opened his mouth to respond, but found he had nothing to say. He moved past Karen, settling himself on the end of the bed as he rubbed his hand over his face. _I knew Nephilim could procreate – Kate was an example of that. I just never thought that I could – I mean, I'm a vampire. It shouldn't be possible... but it is._ A choked laugh escaped his mouth as a smile crept over his face, tears springing up at the corner of his eyes. _I'm going to be a father._

He rose quickly from the bed, wrapping his arms around Karen and spinning her around a few times, eliciting a surprised laugh from her. He set her down before cupping her face in his hands, bending down to give her kiss before pausing, a thought occurring to him. His face fell as he took a step back, moving back to sit on the edge of the bed again.

"Danny? What's wrong?" Karen asked, sitting on his right and putting a hand on his arm.

"The baby – our baby," he got a small thrill at saying the words. "They'll be an Elioud – a child of a Nephilim and a human and... you won't survive their birth."

Karen pursed her lips, looking at her stomach and placing a hand on it. She reached over, grabbing Danny's hand and placing it on her flat stomach. He looked at her, and she gave him a small, sad smile as she said, "I know, Bobby told me."

"He did?" he confirmed, receiving a nod in return. "And...and you still want to have them?"

"Yes, I do," she stated firmly. "Why should our child have to pay for what their parents did? Besides... I want this. And I know you do too." She gave a wide smile, receiving one in return. She looked down at her stomach again, rubbing a hand over it and Danny's hand. "My only regret is that I'll never get to see them – never hear their first words or know who they'll look like."

Danny frowned at this, his mind, oddly enough, flashing back to the boy he had seen in his mind a little over a week ago. _'I can't tell you who I am because I'm nobody yet.' Could that -? Is it -?...'I'm healing you from a distance.' An Elioud would be the only thing with the power to heal. And, since he and I share blood – and perhaps Grace too – it wouldn't be difficult for him to access my mind._

"Danny?" Karen questioned, shaking him out of his thoughts. "What's wrong?"

Danny explained to her about the boy he had seen – as well as his thoughts on who he was. Karen seemed stunned at this, as well as a bit sad that she hadn't experienced it and seen him for herself. Danny pressed his fingers to the side of her head, allowing her to see the memory of the boy standing before him, talking to him, playing chess with him. When he finished, happy tears were streaming down her face as she stroked her stomach lovingly.

"A boy," she choked out. "We're having a son."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **This chapter took me forever to write - both because I was looking forward to it and dreading it. I always had a plan for Danno to have a kid, but I was never very sure if my readers would like it or not. Guess we'll find out now, won't we?**

 **Questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, etc. are welcome. Requests for updates are not. (Seriously, gives me really bad anxiety when I see them.)**


	26. Chapter 26: The Name Game

**Chapter 26: The Name Game**

 _April 12, 2010_

"So, we're headed back now, right?"

"Headed in that direction, yes. We just need to make a quick stop in Cicero," Danny replied. Noting her confused look, he expounded with, "Indiana."

It was the following afternoon after Danny had received the greatest news of his life. He and Karen had talked at great length about who they could and couldn't tell – their son would be an Elioud with many enemies just because of what he was, after all. Not to mention the fact that Danny had made many, many enemies of his own over the years and his son had now become his greatest weakness - not that he minded, of course.

They had both agreed to keep it a secret from everyone in Mystic Falls – from everyone except Bobby and two others, in fact. Danny was just on his way to inform those two people of the news, and was feeling equal parts nervous and excited. He had also decided to erase Elena's memory of Bobby's - not wanting to chance that she may have overheard something.

"Why're we stopping in Cicero?"

"A couple of friends of mine live there. Thought I'd stop in and check on them since we're headed that direction anyway. Might take a bit, we have a lot to catch up on," Danny informed her.

Elena nodded, staring out the window for a moment before looking at him and asking, "If you had a chance to kill Klaus, would you?"

"Wow, I didn't know it was 'out of the blue' question time, you should've given me more time to prepare," Danny replied, raising his eyebrows over his sunglasses. "In answer to your question: no. Klaus is an old friend – practically family. We may've parted on less than agreeable terms, but I would never go out of my way to permanently put him down."

"What if he went after Damon and Stefan?"

"He won't kill them – he can't."

"Why not? What's stopping him?" Elena questioned hotly.

"Let's just say that I have something on him to keep him from going too far," Danny replied vaguely.

"Then why don't you use it to keep him away from Mystic Falls?"

"It wasn't part of the agreement. We agreed that so long as he doesn't kill me or my brothers – or tell anyone that I was alive – that I wouldn't retaliate. I never said 'no entrance to Mystic Falls' or 'the doppelganger's off-limits'. I got what I needed out of the arrangement, and now we're settled," Danny stated in a matter-of-fact tone, signaling that yet another line of questioning was officially over.

"You really don't like talking about the Originals, do you?" Elena sighed.

"Gee, what gave me away?" Danny rolled his eyes. "The Originals were my family for a long time. I'm not going to betray their secrets to anyone – no matter what terms we may be on."

With that, Danny turned on the radio and cranked up the volume on whatever new-age crap they were currently playing on there. They stayed silent for the few hours it took to drive to Cicero, following the directions Danny's phone told him. When night had fallen, they pulled in front of a modest sized house, the porch light shining brightly, signaling that the inhabitants were home.

Danny turned off the car, exiting it and jogging up to the door with Elena following more slowly behind him. Danny knocked on the door three times before stepping back a pace, clasping his hands behind his back. He didn't have to wait long for the door to open, revealing the small form of Kate staring up at him with a surprised look on her face.

"Danny? What are you doing here?" she questioned.

"I have news and a proposition for you and your boy toy. Can I come in?" Danny grinned.

"I wouldn't call him that to his face, he's in a mood tonight," Kate rolled her eyes, opening the door wider. "Come in, jackass and friend."

No sooner had Danny entered the house than he was tackled around the shins. He glanced down, seeing a toddler with Dean's green eyes and hair grinning up at him widely. Danny picked him up, twirling him in the air before throwing him up and down and tickling him, much to the boy's delight. Another boy toddled into the room, peeking over his stuffed moose with bright hazel eyes and curly dark brown hair. He waved shyly at Danny and Elena before looking over his shoulder to see Dean coming into the room.

Dean looked surprised to Danny and a complete stranger in his house, taking a swig of his beer as he eyed them. Danny made the introductions between Elena, Dean, Kate, Nik – the boy who looked like a miniaturized version of Dean – and Arrow – the boy with the stuffed moose. Danny told the two former hunters that he wanted to talk to them privately, which Kate obliged, leading them into the kitchen and telling Nik to show Elena the living room – which the small boy did with gusto.

Upon arriving to the kitchen, Kate fished out a couple of beers, tossing one to Danny before hopping up to sit on a counter. Dean leaned against the counter next to her, resting his left hand on her right knee as the two opened their respective beers, simultaneously drinking them and sighing afterward.

"So, what the hell do you want?" Dean finally asked, getting straight to the point.

"Well, I'm not gonna beat around the bush," he took a deep breath before grinning proudly. "I'm gonna be a dad."

"Mazel tov," Kate stated, holding up her beer to cheers him.

At the same time, Dean asked, "How?"

"Well, you see, Dean," Danny began, clasping his hands in front of him and adopting a patronizing tone. "When a man and woman have certain...desires... they -"

"Yeah, yeah, I know about that, jackass – I have a couple rugrats myself," Dean rolled his eyes, subtly flipping him off. "I meant how can you have a kid? You're dead."

"Nephilim power," Kate and Danny replied simultaneously, clinking their bottles together and grinning.

"Y'know, sometimes I wonder about you two," Dean stated, taking sip of his beer.

"Nah, I have no romantic interest in her whatsoever," Danny replied.

"And I'm way too in love with you to consider even looking at anyone," Kate grinned, kissing him on the cheek and eliciting a grin from the former hunter. "So, what's the proposition?"

"Oh, right, that," Danny hesitated, seeming somewhat nervous as he took a swig of his beer and began drumming his fingers on the side of the bottle. "Karen and I have talked about it and, well, we'd like for you to be the baby's godparents."

The two stared at him for a moment before saying, "We don't go to church."

"Yeah, well, neither do I. Look, it's more of a 'in case we die, you are the people we trust most to look after our kid' sort of thing," Danny explained.

"Why us?" they asked.

Danny stared at the two for a moment, pointing at them both as he said, "It's so weird how you both just say the same thing at the same time. You do it like, all the time." He shook his head, taking a large swig of his beer. "Anyway, there's a lot of reasons why we chose you. You both have kids – one of whom is an Elioud, so you know how to deal with them. Not to mention the fact that the two of you are my best mates and have the skill set needed to keep my kid safe – should the need arise. Honestly, there is no one we – I – trust more than you two, especially when it comes to the most precious thing – person – in the world to me."

The couple stared at each other, having a silent conversation. There was much eyebrow raising, blinking, and faces being made. There was a moment when Kate snickered, rolling her eyes while Dean smiled widely before the two went back to their serious, silent conversation. After another moment of this, Dean grabbed onto her hand as Kate turned back to look at the hybrid.

"We accept – on the condition that we don't have to take the kid to church," she informed him.

"Deal."

* * *

 _April 26, 2010_

"How about Michael?"

"Ew, gross, no. I hate that name."

"C'mon, what's wrong with it?"

"How about the fact that the last Michael that I knew stabbed me into a tree and probably would have killed me once he beat Lucifer?" Danny replied mildly, opening the top of the freezer.

Two weeks had passed since the very eventful road trip Danny had taken Elena on. True to his word, he had returned her necklace after compelling her to forget everything to do with the baby, Karen, Bobby's location, and the location of the Winchesters – he took the safety of his friends very seriously. Since then, he had made a point to call Karen every day to check on her and their unborn son, all the while keeping it a secret from everyone in Mystic Falls.

At the moment, the two were discussing one of the things Danny had been looking forward to most: what to name him. Granted, it may be a bit premature given that Karen was only a month into her pregnancy, but Elioud were rumored to be very finicky when it came to being born – staying in the womb from anywhere between a month to twenty-four months. Kate's had been born after about five months, give or take – and Danny was wondering if his own child would follow the same pattern.

"Okay, fair enough. I'll cross that one off then," Karen said, and a scratching sound was heard on the other side. "Any suggestions?"

"You already know what I want one of the names to be – and I'm not budging on it one bit," Danny informed her, reaching into the freezer and pulling out a bag of blood.

He tore the cap off with his teeth, drinking liberal amounts of it as his baby momma said, "And I'm willing to allow it – we just need to figure out whether or not it should be a first or a middle name. That means we need to figure out what the other name is." She paused, and the sound of a pen scratched against paper again. "What's your middle name?"

"My middle name?" Danny repeated, receiving a hum in response. He was silent for a moment before he mumbled, "Alistair."

"Alistair? Really? Your mom chose that?" Karen asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I think she might've been trying to send me a message – I was just too stupid to see it," Danny grumbled, taking a few more gulps.

"Well, you are the guy who implied that Bobby and I have a thing – so I won't argue with you there," Karen teased.

"Hahaha," Danny rolled his eyes. "Well, pardon me for feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment – I think we could let that one slide."

"Yeah, no, I'm still writing about it."

"Yeah, I figured that would be the answer," Danny chuckled.

They had both decided that while Karen was pregnant, she would write a journal detailing her every day. It would be a way for their son to get to know his mother – even if he would never meet her. Danny had been journaling off and on for many years and, though he would be nervous about doing so, had decided that he would let his son read it when he was old enough. His nerves stemmed from the fact that everything he had done – the good, the bad, and the absolutely horrendous – would be written in those pages for his boy to read.

He knew that he could very well not let his son read it – but he felt that that would be like lying to him. And he refused to lie to his son – ever.

"Danny, c'mon, the guy's here to sign the deed over," Stefan's voice called from the main floor.

"Coming!" he called back before saying in a much quieter tone, "I gotta go – I'll call tomorrow. Stay safe – both of you."

"You too, Danny," she whispered back before hanging up.

He put his phone in his pocket and drained the last of his blood bag before tossing it in the freezer and jogging up the stairs. He headed outside where Stefan and Damon already stood, waiting for Elena to finish signing the deed.

Danny had been a bit pissed off at the idea at first but, after thinking about it for a bit, realized that it would be nice for his son to have a home where he didn't have to be afraid of vampires sneaking in and attacking him. Of course, Danny was also planning on heavily warding the boy's room against everything under the sun, but that was another task for another day.

"You really think Bonnie can take on Klaus?" Damon asked the pair dubiously.

"She said she could channel enough witches' power to kill him," Stefan informed him. "Elijah thought that would work and he was an Original, so..."

"Yeah, but Elijah also didn't take into account Klaus' paranoia," Danny stated, leaning against the half-wall and playing Tetris on his phone. "Dude's got back-up plans for his back-up plans."

"So, if you were trying to kill Klaus, what would you do?" Stefan asked.

"Go into the plan expecting it to fail spectacularly and have a back-up when it inevitably happens," Danny shrugged.

"Great, now we just need to find him," Damon said.

"Yeah."

"Could she do one of those witch tracking spells?" Damon inquired.

"Nope. Not without something that belongs to Klaus," Stefan told him as the two sat down on either side of Danny. "Believe me, I already asked."

The two turned simultaneously to look at their older brother. Danny raised an eyebrow, guessing that they were wondering if he either knew a way or if he had something left of Klaus'.

"No dice, baby bros. I wasn't allowed to pack a bag on my trip to Hell. Besides, I left all that stuff with Elijah when I decided to hunt down Katherine," the oldest Salvatore informed them, reaching into his pocket and taking out a stick of gum, popping it in his mouth.

Damon was silent for a moment before he asked, "Do you think he killed her?"

"Katherine?" the other two confirmed.

They received a small nod in return, prompting them both to respond at the same time.

"Probably," Stefan said.

"Doubtful," Danny countered. The two looked at him. "After all the bullshit she put him through, Klaus wouldn't let her off that easy."

"Well, it's not like she didn't have it coming," Damon shrugged.

"Yeah," Stefan replied.

They were quiet for a moment before the front door opened, revealing Elena and the old guy, Mr. Henry. Elena thanked him before allowing him to leave. Stefan and Damon walked toward the door but were stopped by the barrier. Elena apologized before inviting Stefan in. After extracting a promise from Damon that they would do things her way, she invited him in. That just left Danny. Elena stared at him skeptically for a moment, seeming to debate whether or not to invite him in.

"Y'know, if you don't invite me in, I can just leave Mystic Falls and never come back," he reminded them, glancing up only briefly from his phone. "Then you'd have to face mean old Klaus all by yourselves."

That seemed to solidify the matter, prompting Elena to invite the older vampire inside. Danny gave a quick 'thank you' when he entered before jogging up the stairs to his room – intent on doing more research into Sam, his powers, and – most importantly – his kid's name.

* * *

A few hours later, his brothers called him down to inform him that Klaus had made his move – asking Elena to save him the last dance at the 60s decades dance that night. Now, the three Salvatores, Elena, and Bonnie were waiting on Ric so they could make their plan. However, they also realized that they couldn't actually do much – seeing as how they didn't actually know what Klaus looked like. They tried asking Danny, but the hybrid informed them that Klaus was most likely aware of his presence and probably found a way to disguise himself.

Danny was just pondering what sort of disguise Klaus might be assuming when Ric walked in, apologizing for being late. Danny merely spared him a glance when he entered, then did a double take when he noted an odd fuzziness around him. _That only happens around vampires – and Ric isn't one._ He narrowed his eyes, tilting his head to the side curiously. He noted that Ric only caught his eye briefly, giving an almost imperceptible wink before turning away. _Klaus, you devious little bastard._

Damon then requested that Ric put him down as a chaperone for the dance – stating that Klaus had made his first move. Elena asked what the plan was, to which Bonnie responded that she was the plan – Klaus had no idea what kind of power she was channeling and that she could kill him. _Someone's arrogant._

"It's not gonna be that easy," Ric chuckled. "I mean he is the biggest, baddest vampire around."

"Nah, Klaus is a puffed-up peacock. Not much to offer once you take away the feathers," Danny stated, smirking when he saw Ric's jaw set in irritation.

"Nah, Alaric has a point. I mean, what if he -" Damon began, vamping toward Bonnie, only to be repelled by magic and sent flying across the room.

"Well, I was impressed," Stefan admitted.

"Could've done without the books being injured," Danny scowled, getting off the couch and beginning to pick them up off the floor.

"I'm alright. Thanks for the concern, big bro," Damon said sarcastically.

Bonnie then stated, quite confidently, that she could take down an Original – that she could kill Klaus. Danny snorted derisively, receiving looks from everyone around him. He held his hands – which were still clutching the books – up in surrender, not saying anything.

* * *

Danny decided to forego going to the dance that night for two reasons. One, he didn't particularly feel like getting up in Klaus' business. And two, he had way too much work to do. Between picking out baby names, looking up ways to get Sam out of Hell, and researching ways to kill Raphael, Danny had his plate full for the first time in quite a while.

 _James? Nah, Jimmy's a horrible nickname. Jack? Hmm, nice, but too ripper-y. Alex is too plebeian – same goes for John. Robert is just a terrible name all around – same goes for Alaric...I do like Caleb, but it wouldn't flow well with his other name._ Danny scratched the back of his head in frustration as he scrolled down the list of baby names on his laptop. _There's - oh._ He sat back in his seat, staring at the name on the screen thoughtfully. _I like that. Not sure if Kare will though..._

He grabbed the glass of bourbon on his desk, bringing it too his mouth and frowning in disappointment upon discovering that it was empty. With a small shrug he rose from his seat exited his room, locking the door firmly behind him. He made his way down the stairs, stopping in the living room to see Elena sitting in an armchair, crying, while Stefan kneeled beside her, handing her a mug.

"Woah, who died?" Danny questioned.

The two looked at him reproachfully, and Stefan made shooing motions with his hands and arms. Danny held his hands up in surrender as he turned away and headed for the kitchen. He rifled through the fridge for a moment before pulling out a large, unopened bottle of white wine. _Hello, my pretty_. He closed the fridge, vamping up the stairs and going back into his room, locking the door behind him. He opened the bottle, taking a copious swig before turning his attention to his next task: killing Raphael.

After some research, he discovered that there were only a few ways to kill an archangel. One was God power – which wasn't an option, for obvious reasons. The second was an archangel blade. Unfortunately, the wielder also had to be an archangel, and Danny doubted Raphy was the suicide type. The last option was the First Blade – the first weapon created by Cain that slew his brother Abel. Considering the fact that he had no idea where it was – and he lacked the capacity to wield it – that plan was also shot.

Danny gave a groan of frustration, running his hands over his face before reaching toward his bottle, bringing it to his lips and draining the last of it. It was only after he had done so that he heard a knock on his door. _Damon and Stefan don't knock._ He frowned, rising from his seat and walking over to the door. Upon unlocking and opening it, he found Elena standing there, her expression torn.

"You know Klaus and Elijah better than anyone here – do you think Elijah knows a way to kill Klaus?" Elena asked without preamble.

"Most likely, yes. Whether or not he has the capacity and willpower to do so is a matter up for debate," Danny responded, leaning against the door frame. He scrutinized her for a moment, tilting his head to the side thoughtfully. After a moment, he said, "Tell Elijah I said 'hello'."

With that, the hybrid re-entered his room, closing and locking the door behind him. He plopped back into the chair at his desk, sighing heavily before putting his fingers on the keyboard. _You're up next, Sammy-boy._

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, etc. are welcome. Requests for updates are not. (Seriously, gives me really bad anxiety when I see them.)**

 **Review Response Time:**

 **-Damien NightFall:** don't really like the kid part, they usually ruin stories by making the entire story focused pretty much solely on them

 **A: Understandable concern. Rest assured, Danny will still be the primary focus of this story - it is, after all, about him and his journey. His kid will only really play a prominent role if I decide to do a fic on "Legacies." Until then, he will be mentioned and seen periodically throughout the story - but will not play that large of a role. The main purpose of his son will be for character development purposes. (Don't hold me to this, as it is subject to change. Characters tend to evolve and take on a life of their own throughout the story.)**

 **-Peetato1989:** Yay! A new chapter! I am uber curious about this baby - will Karen survive or not... And what powers will it have? Still waiting on the Danny and Klaus reunion - I am wondering about their relationship... I would really like to see Danny get along well with at least one of the Mikaelsons - has he met Kol before? Those two could do some real damage together!

 **A: The baby's powers will be...complicated, to say the least. Elioud are like Nephilim, but different. The only real mention I found of them through research was the line _"_ _Like the Nephilim, the Elioud are exceptional in both ability and wickedness."_ I take it to mean they have the same abilities as well. Although, it does also say that Nephilim are giants so...creative licence?** **I have** **some ideas for the baby, but I won't spoil anything. The Danny-Klaus reunion will occur in two chapters - so don't you worry on that front! As for Kol...well, Danny's basically been with the Mikaelsons since he became a vampire (and prior to his time in Hell) so, yes the two have met.**

 **Thank you, as always, for the reviews! Until next time!**


	27. Chapter 27: Reunited

**Chapter 27: Reunited**

 _April 27, 2010_

"I like it. It's very...elegant. Noble, even."

"Really?" Danny questioned, mingled excitement and relief in his voice.

"Really. Besides, the name means something to you – and it's very respectable," Karen replied, and Danny could swear he heard the smile in her voice.

"Great. Well, uh, glad we got that sorted," Danny responded, giving a wide grin.

He heard a beep on his phone, and looked down to see that Elena was calling him. _What could she want? Perhaps an update on Elijah?_ He frowned, debating internally as to what he should do. After a few seconds, he told Karen he would call her tomorrow before hanging up and answering the other line.

"Did you do it?" Danny questioned.

"If by 'it', you mean removing the dagger, then I'd say yes. Mission accomplished," came Elijah's smooth voice.

"Elijah? How did you – never mind. I don't think I want to know," Danny shook his head, curling his lip upward slightly. "What do you want?"

"I think you and I should talk – air out our grievances and such," Elijah informed him.

Danny was silent for a moment before saying, "I agree. Where should I meet you?"

"You are familiar with the Lockwood mansion, correct?"

"I'll be there in twenty."

* * *

Danny walked up the sloping hills of the Lockwood property, trying to get his thoughts in order. Despite his previous confrontations with his sire, Danny had no clue what to say to Elijah. The past two meetings he'd had were unplanned - only lasting about two minutes apiece. There were many things left unsaid between the two – many problems still to be hammered out. _But I have to do it._ Danny told himself resolutely. _My greatest regret was not apologizing to Gabriel – not thanking him for everything he'd done for me. Not telling him how much he meant to me. I won't let the same thing happen to Elijah and me._

As though he had summoned him with his thoughts, Danny spotted the Original up on the hill by a lake, staring into its depths. Danny tugged on the strings of his dark grey and black hooded jacket nervously before putting his hands into the pockets of his ripped jeans. He approached quietly, stopping just behind the man.

"You said you wanted to talk – so here I am," Danny announced his presence.

Elijah turned around slowly, eyeing Danny carefully. After a moment, he gestured with his hand for Danny to follow him and began to walk in the direction of the mansion. Danny fell into step slightly behind and to the right him.

"Truth be told, I did not think you would actually show up," Elijah admitted.

"Yes, well, I figured it was time we finally talked," Danny shrugged, moving his hands to his jacket pockets. "Besides, I had free time."

Elijah hummed in response and silence fell between the two. As the minutes stretched by with neither saying anything, Danny began to grow more nervous and frustrated. When he finally couldn't take it anymore, he vamped in front of Elijah, stopping the Original in his tracks.

"Look, we came here to talk; so, let's talk. But we should promise each other something first," Danny stated, receiving a raised eyebrow in return. "No more secrets – no more lies. This conversation stays between us – deal?" He stuck out his right hand.

"Deal," Elijah agreed after a moment, shaking his sireling's hand firmly.

"Good, I'll start things off," Danny took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was about to say. "Your hair, man, it's...not good. It's just...not."

"This, coming from the man who looks like he hasn't run a comb through his in over a century," Elijah retorted, the corners of his lips twitching upward slightly in amusement.

"That's actually pretty accurate. Haven't run a comb through it since we were on speaking terms," Danny grinned, running a hand through his already messy hair and ruffling it up more.

"The Daniel I knew always took exemplary care of his hair."

"The Daniel you knew also wore suits," Danny replied with a shrug. "Things change – people change. I've changed. You can't expect me to have stayed the same man after sixty years, Elijah."

"No, I suppose I shouldn't," Elijah admitted, beginning to walk once more. When Danny fell into step beside him, he continued, "I suppose we should discuss what caused our separation in the first place." He received a nod in return. "Did you lead Mikael to us in New Orleans?"

"No, I didn't," Danny informed him. "Chicago, though, that was me. I regretted the incident afterward – even made amends for it years later by taking down Mikael."

Elijah stopped in his tracks.

"You took down Mikael?"

"It wasn't easy, but yes. Challenged him to a sword fight – beat him – then had a witch desiccate him and seal him in a tomb. That makes us square, I believe," Danny stated, kicking a rock down the hill as he walked.

"Yes, I suppose it does," Elijah confirmed, seeming much more relaxed. "What have you been up to since then?"

"Buckle up, buckaroo, because you're in for one hell of a ride," Danny grinned.

Danny started from the very beginning, telling him about Lucifer and the archangels as well as Alistair and his mother. He told Elijah that he had been confined somewhere far away from 1950 to 1960, but couldn't bring himself to tell his sire just where that was quite yet. He explained about his humanity switch being turned off, meeting Gabriel, becoming a hunter. He didn't tell Elijah about all the hunts he had been on – that would take up more time than they had.

He ended his narrative after telling Elijah about his becoming a Nephilim – even showing him his glowing eyes – and working with the Winchesters to seal Michael and Lucifer in the Cage.

"Let me see if I've got this right," Elijah began slowly. "You saved the world last month. Became a – what was the word again? - a Nephilim/vampire hybrid. And you're a descendant/reincarnation of the son of the Devil. Is that about right?"

"In a nutshell, yeah," Danny replied.

The two were silent for a moment, Elijah was processing everything Danny had said, and the hybrid was contemplating telling Elijah one of his biggest secrets – one that only he knew at the moment. _What could it hurt? Besides, he has the right to know._

"Daniel - I – wasn't Alistair's first reincarnation. There was one before me," Danny admitted, looking at Elijah furtively out of the corner of his eye.

Elijah stopped in his tracks, staring at Danny, a mixture of disbelief and hope in his brown eyes as he whispered, "Who were you?"

"I think you know."

"Say it."

"Lukas Mikaelson," Danny drew himself up slightly, a smattering of pride in his voice.

"Prove it."

"What do you want me to say? You and Finn had an older sister named Freya – she died, causing your parents to leave for the New World. The first vampire you made was Tristan de Martel. You founded the Strix – side note, they're all a bunch of stuck up assholes," Danny scowled a bit at the last one, recalling his own experience with them. "When Lukas was younger, he couldn't say Klaus' name, so he called him 'Unca Kwaus' until he was like, ten. Do you need more? Or should I -?"

Danny was cut off abruptly when Elijah embraced him, gripping his shoulders tightly. Hesitantly, Danny wrapped his own arms around him, squeezing his eyes shut as he sighed. _Is this what it feels like to be hugged by someone – a parent – who actually cares for you? Lukas, you lucky bastard._ After a moment, the two parted, though Elijah still kept his hands on Danny's shoulders.

"Have you always known who you used to be?" Elijah questioned.

"No, but I suspected. Kol spilled the beans one night about Lukas, and I found a witch who would help restore whatever memories I may have had," Danny informed him. "I recovered them in 1914."

"That long ago? Why didn't you ever tell me?" Elijah demanded.

"Curiosity, I suppose. I wanted to know if the affection you had for me was because I resembled your son, or if it was because of me," Danny paused, thinking over his next words carefully. "Elijah, Lukas may have been my past life, but I'm not him anymore. He – I – had a chance at life – a beautiful, wonderful life – but it's over now. I'm Daniel Salvatore now, and I live my life the way I want to, not the way my past lives did or want me to."

Elijah was silent for a moment before he said, "I suppose I can respect that, Daniel. Just answer me one question: who killed Lukas?"

"Does it matter? The killer's dead now," Danny responded, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"Fair point," Elijah conceded.

* * *

Danny glanced up at the sound of a door opening, giving a small wave as Elena walked through the door. The two vampires had moved back inside after their eye-opening discussion and had been waiting for the doppelganger's return. In the meantime, Danny had helped himself to the Lockwood's bourbon and had settled himself in one of the armchairs in the parlor. Elijah, however, had taken to staring at the mirror thoughtfully until Elena had walked in and he turned to look at her.

"Welcome back," he stated, though not without a tone of mild surprise.

Elena looked like she was about to question Danny's presence, but ultimately decided against it as she said, "Tell me. What is Klaus' curse?"

"Wow. You're telling her _that_?" Danny questioned, looking at Elijah incredulously.

"Yes, I'm surprised you haven't," the Original responded.

"I keep my family's secrets," the hybrid shrugged, taking a sip of his bourbon.

Elijah nodded appreciatively before asking Elena to sit. When she had done so, he told her that Klaus was his half-brother, and that his real father had been a werewolf and that Mikael had killed him – starting the war between werewolves and vampires. He told Elena that Klaus was a hybrid, but that the witches had sealed away his werewolf half shortly after he had turned.

He then informed her that Klaus was trying to break the curse and free his werewolf side, and build his own army of hybrids. He explained that the daggers wouldn't work on Klaus, as well as the fact that he had found a way to keep the doppelgänger from dying during the ritual Klaus needed to break the curse. Unfortunately, Katherine had ran off before he could use it on her.

"You cared about her, didn't you?" Elena surmised.

"It's a common mistake, I'm told," Elijah confirmed. "And it's one I won't make again."

"Hilariously common. Fortunately, not all of us are easily fooled by the conniving bitch," Danny smirked, receiving a disapproving look from Elijah at his foul language.

Elijah handed Elena her jacket before walking toward the door, waving his hand for Danny to follow him. The vampire swallowed the last of his bourbon before rising from his seat and going after his sire.

* * *

When the three arrived back at the Salvatore house, they found one of the bookshelves in the library destroyed and the younger Salvatore brothers fighting. Danny vamped toward the two, pulling them apart and standing between the two with his arms held out to the side to keep them separated.

"Enough! Calm the fuck down, both of you!" he said sharply, his eyes glowing dangerously as he glared at the two. When both stared at him, stunned at his appearance, he continued in a more calm manner, "Now, let me tell you what's gonna happen: we're all going to have a civil conversation and then you two assholes are gonna fix my bookcase and replace the books, are we clear?"

He received silence in response. He reached over, grabbing each of them by the ear and yanking on them, receiving shouts of pain in response. "I said, are we fucking clear?" He asked again. His brothers responded with 'yes, sir', and Danny released them, letting them rub their injured ears as his eyes returned to normal.

The two turned to look at Elena and Elijah, with Damon being the first to speak, "Now you've invited him in?"

"Elijah and I have renewed the terms of our deal," Elena informed them.

"Really?" Damon questioned, his tone still irritated.

"The two of you will come to no harm at my hands," Elijah vowed, walking further into the room. "I only ask for one thing in return."

"What?" Damon asked.

"An apology," Elijah replied simply.

"A what?" Damon asked in mock confusion.

"You'll have to forgive my brother, Lijah, he seems to have left his manners back in 1864," Danny commented dryly.

Stefan and Damon shared a look before Stefan stepped forward, apologizing for the part he played in Elijah's death, stating that he was protecting Elena. Elijah told him that he understood, signaling that he accepted Stefan's apology. The others all turned to Damon, waiting for his apology. Elena told him that the sacrifice was going to happen, and that Bonnie would be able to kill Klaus without hurting herself, as well as the fact that Elijah knew how to save her life.

"Is that true?" Damon questioned, looking between his older brother and Elijah.

"It is," they both confirmed.

"And you're trusting him – both of you?" he demanded.

"I am/Yep," Elena and Danny said simultaneously.

Damon glared at them all, his gaze coming to rest on Danny, betrayal flashing in his eyes as he said, "You can all go to Hell."

He pushed past Danny as he made his way out of the room. Danny stood rigid for a moment, hands clenched, posture rigid, jaw set, eyes focused on the floor. He felt Stefan put his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it like that," Stefan stated.

Danny shrugged his hand off.

"Oh no, he meant it."

He then stalked out of the library and headed for his room. He stopped in front of his door, hand poised over his doorknob. He clenched his hand and turned around, marching toward Damon's room. On the way there, he reached into an inside pocket of his jacket, pulling out a vial of angel blood and chugging it quickly. He moved to the side as a half-naked Andie ran past him, staring fearfully at his glowing eyes.

Upon arriving at Damon's door, he kicked it open, knocking the door off its hinges. Damon turned to look at him, seeming startled by his sudden appearance. Realizing that his brother wasn't here to talk, Damon vamped toward him, prepared to attack. Danny threw out a hand, sending the vampire flying back and through the glass balcony doors.

Danny vamped after him, jumping down and landing in front of Damon, who crawled backwards in effort to get away from him. Danny grabbed him by the front of his shirt, lifting him up and pushing him back up against a tree. He pressed his forearm against Damon's throat, feeling the vampire swallow heavily as he stared as his older brother, fear flashing in his eyes.

"Let me make this perfectly fucking clear, little brother," Danny began coldly. "I stayed with the Originals all that time to keep them away from Mystic Falls – away from _you_. I chased after Katherine so that I could stay alive long enough to protect _you_. I went to Hell for _you_." He pulled Damon back only to slam him against the tree again. "You can bitch and moan all you want about everything that's happened to you. You can yell at me, curse me, blame me for things that've gone wrong – lord knows you've done it before. But you do _not_ \- I repeat – do _not_ get to tell me to go to Hell. Not when I've already been there once for _you_."

He released him, his eyes ceasing their glow. Damon panted, staring at his older brother with an unreadable expression. Suddenly, Danny swung out his fist, knocking him to the ground before storming off back toward the house.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, etc. are welcome. Requests for updates are not. (Seriously, gives me really bad anxiety when I see them.)**

 **Review Response Time:**

 **-Damien NightFall:** Thanks for answering the review, always nice to have confirmation that the author cares about the readers. Good chapter for the most part, I see some foreshadowing (I think) which is always nice, I am rather disconcerted with the almost complete disregard that Daniel has for the whole situation at Mystic Falls, it makes the vampire diaries story seem more like a unfortunate backdrop.

 **A: It's no trouble at all! Responding to reviews is actually one of my favorite things to do (and I mean that quite sincerely). It's always nice to talk to readers - hear their points of view, give feedback, etc. It helps me better myself as a writer - as well as giving me ideas on what to write, what to address, and what to fix. As for your concern with Daniel's...well, lack of concern, I started noticing that a bit as well. It took me a while to figure out why (as I refuse to believe it's just lazy writing) and believe I may have come across a - hopefully adequate - answer.**

 **Danny did not have the best upbringing in Mystic Falls - some of his worst memories are from his time spent growing up there. Due to this, he has a bit of a...disdain, you might say, for Mystic Falls and its inhabitants. His only real motivation for staying at this point is to be close to his brothers and - to some extent - the Originals. Given that, he doesn't really care much for what goes on in Mystic Falls, only really getting involved when it might inconvenience him. He's also got a lot of emotional baggage after the death of Gabriel - and that sort of repressed grief and guilt can make one blind to almost everything around them, even if they don't realize it.**

 **Hopefully those were satisfactory reasons. If not, I would love to hear your opinions! (As a side-note, I'd like to state that I really like your username. Can't quite put my finger on why, but I do love it.)**

 **-msblovesdefan: (I won't put your review here, since it's really long. Hope you understand.)**

 **A: I, personally, have mixed feelings about Legacies. It's interesting to see all these new monsters but, at the same token, I have no emotional attachment to any of the characters (with the exceptions of Hope and Alaric). You won't have to worry about any Legacies fanfics from me (at least, not for a while anyway). I still have to finish up TVD, The Originals, and Supernatural, after all.**

 **As for Danny being around his brothers more...well, that's really more in Danny's hands than it is mine. I go where the story takes me, and only have a brief outline of what I want to happen in the plot. If it makes you feel any better, the chapter I'm currently working on does sort of lead to rectifying his...issues, shall we say, with his brothers.**


	28. Chapter 28: Properly Squiffed

**Chapter 28: Properly Squiffed**

 _April 28, 2010_

Danny laid in his bed, hands behind his head as stared up at the ceiling blankly. Part of him felt bad about the way he had treated Damon last night – he was his brother, after all. But another, much stronger part of him was still pissed off and seething with suppressed anger and rage. _Could just be the angel blood talking... that, or I've officially snapped._ That thought troubled him a bit, though not as much as he thought it would.

He rose from his bed, agitation and restlessness surging through him. He began pacing back and forth across his room, hands clasped behind his back as he walked. He eyed the painting of the stag that hung on his wall, debating retrieving a drink from the safe behind it. With a shake of his head, he grabbed the jacket he had worn the previous day from the back of his desk chair. Putting it on, he walked to his door, exiting it and locking it behind him. Turning around, he jumped a bit at the sight of Elijah.

"Could've done without the heart attack, Lijah," Danny grumbled, placing a hand over his racing heart.

"My apologies, Daniel, I did not mean to startle you," Elijah replied sincerely. "Stefan, Elena, and I are going to discuss our plan on dealing with Klaus. Perhaps you might like to join us?"

"Hmm...pass," Danny hummed in response, pushing past his sire and making his way down the hall.

Elijah stared after him for a moment before calling out, "And here I thought you'd be looking forward to killing Klaus."

"What the hell ever gave you that idea?" Danny questioned, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion as he turned slightly to look at Elijah. "Klaus and I aren't best buddies, but I don't want him dead. That's ya'll's deal. I'm staying out of it and going drinking."

"Are you sure this doesn't have anything to do with Damon?"

"It doesn't. But, getting away from him is a nice bonus," Danny grinned walking toward the stairs.

"It sounds like there's a story behind what he said," Elijah pressed.

"There is – ask Stefan," Danny called back as he descended the stairs.

* * *

"Wow, your brother sounds like a dick."

"Preachin' to the choir on that one, sweetheart," Danny rolled his eyes, finishing off his bourbon and gesturing to the bartender for another one.

After leaving the house a couple hours ago, Danny had found his way to the Mystic Grill and began the process of getting thoroughly trashed. Midway through, he had decided to call Kare and get an update before calling Dean and Kate. He had just finished explaining what was going down between him and his brother – after downing copious amounts of bourbon first, of course.

"You don't tell someone you know has been to Hell to go back there – you just don't," Dean added, and there was a sloshing sound of a beer bottle accompanying it.

"That's what I said! Well, that was general gist of it, anyways," Danny exclaimed, nodding in thanks as the bartender gave him another drink.

"Although, to be fair – and to play Devil's advocate a bit – you might've taken it too far. Sending him flying out of a second story balcony and slamming him into a tree seems like a bit of an overreaction," Kate told him.

"You may have a point there – but I'm not apologizing," Danny replied stubbornly, drinking his bourbon.

"Good God, don't!" the two replied simultaneously.

"You overreacted -" Kate began.

"But he was being a humongous dick -" Dean continued.

"So, it all evens out," the two finished together.

"I swear, sometimes it feels like I'm talking to the Weasley twins," Danny rolled his eyes, bringing his glass to his lips once more and pausing. "I miss Fred. Should've killed off Percy instead – the insufferable twat-waffle."

There were snickers from the other end of the phone before Dean asked what he was talking about. Kate had to explain a bit about Harry Potter and some of the characters in the story. In the midst of her explanation, Danny lamented the loss of Sirius Black – by far his favorite character in the books. Kate agreed with him, and the two had a very nerdy conversation about the books while Dean remained silent, drinking his beer.

The conversation ended when Danny's phone began to beep, signaling that it was low on battery. Danny said his farewells before hanging up, ordering another drink from the bartender. He saw movement a couple of seats down out of the corner of his eye and scowled when he saw Damon. The bartender handed him his drink and Danny downed it in one go before laying down $100 bill and rising from his seat. As he began to leave, Damon called after him, prompting the hybrid to flip him off and tell him – to put it in child friendly terms – to 'go screw himself'.

Danny jogged across the street to the park and settled himself on an empty bench. He clasped his hands over his lap and leaned his head back, closing his eyes. He inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly, trying to release the agitation that had resurfaced upon seeing his younger brother. Fortunately, something new grabbed his attention when he sensed someone sit on the other side of the bench. Opening his left eye slightly, he gave an internal groan upon seeing -

"Klaushopper," Danny stated, closing his eye. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Just ensuring that you won't be doing anything to disrupt my ritual tonight, Daniel," Klaus replied mildly.

"No worries from me, old buddy. You do you, I'll do me, and..." Danny broke off for a moment to snicker. "Okay, that was dirty, but you get what I'm saying, right?" He frowned. "Wait, what was I saying?"

He could feel Klaus staring at him before the Original stated, "You're sloshed."

Danny raised a thumb and forefinger, putting a few centimeters between them in the universal symbol of 'a little bit'. Klaus laughed at this, seeming to get a kick out of the fact that one of the possible great threats to his plan was too intoxicated to do much – at the moment, anyway.

"Yeah, no, I lied," he turned his head to look at Klaus, opening his eyes and trying – and failing – to keep the smile from his face. "I'm properly squiffed." He snickered again. "'Squiffed' is such a funny word. Whoever came up with it must have been, well, squiffed themselves."

"I don't recall ever seeing you quite so intoxicated," Klaus grinned. "I must say, I find you rather more tolerable this way."

Danny snorted. "Psh. You love me – I'm like a more handsome version of you."

"Oh really?" Klaus replied, amused. "And how do you figure that?"

"Well, we both have sexy accents. We both enjoy maiming, torturing, and killing – others, of course. Both our fathers are enormous dicks that have tried to kill us. We both hate Katherine with a burning passion and want to torture and kill her slowly. Oh, and now we each have a brother that blames us for everything – not to mention the fact that they're total wankers," Danny grinned at him widely.

"I'm assuming you're referring to Damon?" Klaus questioned, receiving a scowl in return. "You know your brother actually had the audacity to request a postponement?"

"Sounds like something he'd do," Danny shrugged. "He probably bodged something up – most likely something to do with Elena – and now needs time to fix it. Typical Damon."

"Your brother better hope that whatever he did doesn't interfere with my plans for the doppelganger," Klaus replied, a dangerous note in his voice.

"Relax, whatever he did wouldn't harm Elena – so no worries there," Danny assured him with a wave of his hand. He was quiet for a moment before asking, "Hey, do you still have Katherine?"

"Why do you ask?" Klaus asked suspiciously.

"Because I'm bored and irritated and torturing Katherine will give me something to do while you're off completing your ritual thingy?" Danny suggested. Klaus continued to stare at him suspiciously, prompting the vampire to roll his eyes and say, "I promise not to interfere in your ritual tonight, Klaus – so long as you and your...associates do not kill my brothers or myself."

Klaus scrutinized him for a moment before saying, "Very well then. I hope you have an invitation to the teacher's apartment."

* * *

The two entered Ric's apartment, whereupon Klaus immediately sensed that something was amiss. The duo spotted Katherine, who was busy pouring herself a cup of coffee and seemed surprised that Danny was with Klaus. Danny went over to Ric's kitchen area, rifling through his cabinets as Katherine asked if everything was okay. He managed to find an unopened bottle of Jack Daniels hidden in the back of the highest cabinet shelf when Klaus asked what she'd been doing. She replied that she had been making coffee, even offering the vampire some before he grabbed her by the throat, repeating his question. She responded with the same answer.

Klaus turned away for a moment before asking for her daylight bracelet. When she handed it to him, he ordered her to go over to the window and step into the sunlight. When she argued that she'd burn, Klaus reminded her that she didn't have a choice. She slowly turned and walked toward the patch of sunlight, immediately screaming in agony as her skin burned and sizzled.

"I imagine rent rates'll go down after this," Danny commented, uncapping his JD and taking a swig of it. "Ah. A good drink to accompany the sweetest sound of all time: Katherine Pierce's screams of agony." He held the bottle out to Klaus, who was leaning against the opposite side of the island, smiling and drinking coffee. "Want some?"

"You're still drinking?" Klaus asked incredulously, having to raise his voice a bit to be heard over Katherine.

"Would you rather me be cranky and sober?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Fair enough," he shrugged before calling out to Katherine, "That's enough."

As Katherine dashed out of the sunlight and slammed into a dark corner, Klaus said, "Hmm, guess I was wrong."

"I'd have let her go on for a few more seconds – but that's just me," Danny commented, taking another swig of the bottle.

"You'll get your turn soon enough, Daniel," Klaus informed him with a genial smile before turning back to Katherine. "All right, then. I need you to do something for me."

He then had Katherine impersonate Elena and call Jenna on the phone – luring her out in the open for him to kidnap. Before he left to go get her, he did two things. The first was to compel Katherine to do whatever Danny said – unless it involved leaving or contacting anyone. The second was to extract a promise from Danny that he wouldn't contact anyone – or receive contact from anyone outside of the apartment – until well after his ritual was finished.

When Klaus finally left, Danny stared at Katherine deviously before reaching over to Ric's knife holder. Pulling out a blade, he inspected it carefully before nodding in approval. Turning, he turned on Ric's stove before holding the blade above the flames, humming contentedly as he did so. While this was going on, he idly wondered if Ric had any power tools.

* * *

Danny heard the sound of a door slam, prompting himself to sit up quickly, mumbling that he was awake. Upon noticing that it was Klaus, the hybrid straightened himself up with a groan, propping his feet up on the coffee table before leaning his head back and closing his eyes. Though he had spent the past few hours torturing Katherine, the past few sleepless nights had caught up with him, causing him to pass out on the couch and take a nap – though only after snapping her neck first.

"Where's Maddox?" Klaus questioned. "Should be back by now."

"I don't know," Katherine stated.

"Who?" Danny inquired, squinting at the Original blearily.

Klaus ignored them both before walking over to the coffee table, sitting in his chair, and attaching his phone to the laptop. As he flipped the lid up, Katherine asked where Elena was, to which Klaus replied that he had sent her off with Greta. The sound of a woman groaning began to come from his laptop. _That's either torture porn or someone turning into a werewolf. Gonna go with the latter...although, with Klaus, you never really know._ Danny smirked.

Abruptly, the door opened as Damon vamped in, glancing at Danny with surprise in his eyes. Klaus informed him that he hadn't known that Damon had been invited in, to which Damon told him that he'd have to postpone the ritual.

"Didn't we already have this conversation?" Klaus asked.

"Yeah, but that was before I rescued your werewolf and vampire and killed your witch," Damon informed him.

 _Damon, you cocky bastard._ Danny scowled, though he couldn't help but feel a tingle of pride at his brother's ability to stand up to a thousand-year-old vampire.

"Excuse me?" Klaus demanded, rising from his chair angrily and walking toward him.

"And you can kill me for it. I don't care. It was all me."

"What about me? I care," Danny raised his hand, giving a small wave from his spot on the couch.

"Yeah, right. You tried to kill me last night," Damon rolled his eyes.

"If I had been trying to kill you, Damon, you wouldn't be here," Danny informed him. "You told me to go to Hell. I took exception to that statement. I retaliated and taught you a lesson."

"Katerina," Klaus interrupted the two. "Give us a moment." When she had left the room, Klaus took a step forward and continued with, "I've heard about you. The crazy, impulsive vampire. In love with his brother's girl."

"Wait, are we talking about Damon or you, Klaus? Cause, honestly, it could go either way," Danny commented, raising his hands in surrender when Klaus glared at him.

"I knew one of you would try to stop me. It was just a 50/50 guess on who," Klaus continued.

"I laid money on Damon. Which reminds me: you owe me fifty bucks now, Klaushopper," Danny informed the Original.

With a roll of his eyes, Klaus reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Taking out a couple twenties and a ten, he handed the notes to Danny, who pocketed them with a 'thank you'. Klaus then proceeded to inform Damon that he already had another werewolf lined up – Jules. After telling him that he had a back-up witch and vampire, he snapped Damon's neck.

"Are we going to have a problem with this?" Klaus questioned, turning to Danny and gesturing at Damon.

Danny frowned at his brother's temporarily dead body before looking at Klaus and shaking his head, saying, "Eh, I almost did it last night. Besides, keeps him out of the fire for a bit."

Klaus gave a small smile before pausing, frowning at something on Damon's arm. Rolling up Damon's sleeve, he revealed a bite – a werewolf bite. Danny's blood ran cold at the sight. _No. No. No. No. NO! Damon can't die – he just can't. He – wait._ A thought occurred to him as his gaze traveled up to Klaus. _Klaus. When the ritual is complete, he'll become a hybrid – who knows what he'll be able to do? Maybe, just maybe, he'll be able to cure Damon._

* * *

Damon awoke an hour later, wherein Katherine informed him that Klaus would be using Jenna for his vampire in the ritual. Damon said that Klaus should have used him, and began rising unsteadily to his feet. Danny vamped over to him quickly, helping him up and steadying him. He then grabbed his brother's arm and showed him the werewolf bite, his face uncharacteristically serious.

"You've been bitten, little brother," Danny informed him.

Damon stared at him for a moment before placing his arm on the island and sitting on a stool. Katherine and Danny stood on either side of him, the former of the two seeming curious, having never seen a werewolf bite before.

"So that's what a werewolf bite looks like," she stated.

"Yep."

"It's not that bad," she commented.

"Until it's bad," Danny remarked at the same time Damon said, "Will be."

Damon then began to pull down his sleeve, covering the mark before getting up and walking away.

"So that's it? You're just going to...die?" Katherine questioned.

"Well, that depends. Either of you know anything about a cure?" Damon asked, looking at the pair.

The two shook their heads. _All I have right now is a theory. I don't want to give Damon false hope in case I'm wrong. I pray to whoever – God, Lucifer, Zeus, Poseidon – that I'm not._

"Me either," Damon replied, putting on his jacket.

"145 years and no last good-bye?" Katherine asked.

"You don't get a good-bye," Damon told her, turning away. He paused abruptly, turning to look at Danny as he said, "But you do. I'm sorry about what I said yesterday. You were right, I had no right to say what I did – and I hope you'll forgive -"

Damon was interrupted when his older brother hugged him, saying, "Shut up, you're not dying. I'll find a cure, Damon, I swear. Besides, even if you actually die, I'll just bring you back."

"You can do that?" Damon questioned, hugging him back.

"Trust me, it happens all the time in my line of work," Danny chuckled, stepping back and holding Damon at arms' length. After scrutinizing him for a moment, he finally said, "Knowing you, you're probably about to leave to do something stupid and/or reckless. I know nothing I say or do will stop you, so I'll just say this: good luck, little brother. I love you."

"Love you too, big bro," Damon grinned, clapping him on the shoulder and resuming his walk toward the door.

After a brief conversation between Damon and Katherine, the younger Salvatore left, and the two were left alone. Danny gave a small sniff and cleared his throat, pushing away the emotions threatening to overcome him. Katherine hesitantly took a step toward him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked down at her raising an eyebrow.

"You do realize that I still hate you and I still plan on torturing you once Damon is safe, right?" Danny reminded her.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," she rolled her eyes.

* * *

 _April 29, 2010_

Danny walked through the graveyard silently, approaching the group of people milling around in front of Jenna's freshly dug grave. It was the morning after the ritual – well after Klaus had completed it, meaning that Danny was free to leave the apartment. He had gone back to the house first, replacing his attire with a black suit – minus the tie. If he was going to a graveyard, he may as well be respectful.

He stepped up beside Damon, receiving a surprised look from the vampire when he held out his flask. Damon looked unsure for a moment before Danny nodded to his arm, mouthing 'it should help.' Damon nodded gratefully before taking a swig of whatever liquid was in the flask. He made a face, surprised to find that there was blood in there – odd tasting blood. Not odd in a bad way, though. More...crisp, refreshing, pure and clean. Damon looked at Danny, mouthing 'yours?' To which the hybrid nodded before walking toward the gate, Damon following close behind.

Stefan suddenly came behind the two, saying that they were heading back to the house.

"I think I'll skip the coffee and tea cakes," Damon informed him.

"Damon, she needs us right now," Stefan stated before he turned his gaze to Danny. "All of us."

"We're not even friends," Danny scowled.

"What's the plan after that, Stefan? The curse is broken. How does one go about killing an all-powerful wolf vamp and his two-faced older brother?" Damon questioned.

"One doesn't. Klaus is practically invincible and I like Elijah," Danny responded, leaning against the fence.

"Well, then we need to come up with something. Fast," Damon said, turning around to face Stefan.

"I'm not gonna let Elena lose anybody else," Stefan told him firmly.

"I wouldn't make any promises, brother," Damon advised him, beginning to roll up his sleeve.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Damon got bit by a furry," Danny informed him.

Damon shot a glance at his older brother before explaining, "Tyler Lockwood bit me." He showed off the growing infection on his arm. "It's actually more of a nip, really, but there it is."

Stefan grabbed his arm, examining it closely with growing concern as he said, "We'll find something – a cure."

"There's no cure, Stefan," Damon told him, looking away

"We kept Elena human, right? We found the way when there was no way. Hey," Stefan said, grabbing his brother's attention. "I will do this." He looked at Danny, receiving a nod in return. "We will do this."

"You wanna do something for me? Keep this from Elena. Last thing she needs is another grave to mourn," Damon told them, clapping their shoulders and walking away.

"You know a way to cure him, right?" Stefan asked, turning to Danny.

"I have a theory that Klaus might hold the answer – but I've got no way to contact him," Danny informed him, staring after the middle Salvatore with a frown.

"What about Elijah? He's with Klaus. Call him."

"I doubt he'll answer. Klaus has most likely betrayed him at this point and has him lying daggered in a box somewhere," Danny shrugged, looking at Stefan. "It happens all the time in that family – they're so weird."

"So, you're saying there's nothing we can do?"

"No. My blood should – hopefully – slow down the poison and buy us enough time to figure out a cure. If all else fails, we might have to look into a preservation spell or have Bon-Bon do a linking spell and link Damon to me," Danny explained, folding his arms across his chest.

"Right. How does drinking your blood help Damon exactly?" Stefan questioned curiously.

"Not sure if you've noticed, Stefan, but I'm not exactly 100% vampire anymore," Danny informed him, allowing his eyes to glow.

"So, what are you then?"

"A very long, very complicated story that we don't have time for – not if we're going to save Damon's life."

* * *

 _April 30, 2010_

Danny stood in front of Ric's apartment door, chewing the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. After a moment, he nodded to Stefan, who unlocked the door and peeked his head inside. Upon spotting Katherine, he opened the door a bit further and the two brothers stepped inside. She complained that she had been waiting two days to leave, and that she should have been able to leave with Klaus being dead.

"Shit happens," Danny told her.

"We ran into some complications," Stefan informed her in a much nicer tone.

"'Complications'?"

"Doesn't really matter. We just need to find him," Stefan replied vaguely. "Do you have any idea where he might be."

Suddenly, Katherine grabbed Stefan, vamping over to a wall and slamming him into it. Immediately, Danny vamped over to her, pulling her off his brother and banging her against the wall instead. He gave a low growl, his irises an glowing icy blue while the whites of his eyes turned blood red, veins appearing beneath them. At that moment, the door opened, revealing Klaus and Elijah. Danny turned off the glow in his eyes – not quite ready for Klaus to know all his secrets.

"Klaus, you're back. Look who decided to visit," Katherine choked out.

"Lijah, Klaushopper," Danny nodded at the two, releasing Katherine but not allowing his face to return to normal just yet. "Pleasure to see you again."

"The two of you just keep popping up, don't you?" Klaus gave a wry smile as Elijah closed the door.

"I - we – need your help," Stefan told him, getting straight to the point. "For our brother."

"Well, whatever it is, he's going to have to wait a tick," Klaus told them. "You see, I have an obligation to my brother that requires my immediate attention."

"You both understand how important family is, or you wouldn't be here," Elijah said, stepping forward and receiving a small nod from Danny, whose face had returned to normal. "My brother gave me his word that he would reunite me with my own."

 _Aaand this must be the part will Klaus daggers him and 'reunites' him with his siblings._ He was proven correct when, mere seconds later, Klaus daggered his brother and Elijah sunk to the floor, slowly desiccating. Katherine and Stefan looked on, shocked and appalled by the turn of events.

"Am I really the only one who saw that coming?" Danny asked, pointing down at Elijah.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, etc. are welcome. Requests for updates are not. (Seriously, gives me really bad anxiety when I see them.)**

 **Review Response time:**

 **msblovesdefan:** I really loved this chapter very much. I really appreciate you responding to my review. Danny seems bossy, yeah, he is bossy with his siblings sometimes. It was fun to read the way he responded to Damon.

 **A: Thanks! I really enjoyed writing that chapter - much as I enjoyed writing this one. It's always fun seeing how Danny interacts with the Original vampires, and I'd been looking forward to writing his official reunion with Elijah and Klaus every bit as much as everyone else.**

 **Guest (Hopefully you know who you are):** Found this fanfic earlier today and I proceeded to read through it entirely! Really loved it and kudos to you for writing it!

 **A: Thank you! Writing this has been fun (until I get major writer's block). Glad to see you enjoyed it enough to read through it all at once (also really glad that you read through it after it had been severely edited, lol).**

 **A lesson in English:**

squiffed

/skwift/

adjective: **squiffed**

Meaning: slightly drunk.

I found this word and I couldn't not use it. It sounded bloody hilarious.


	29. Chapter 29: War Never Changes

_(Stay tuned to the end of the chapter for a chance at a bit of audience participation)_

 **Chapter 29: War Never Changes**

 _June 21, 2010_

Danny stumbled a bit as Castiel dropped him off in front of his house that night, giving a mock salute as the angel disappeared again. He shuffled wearily to the front door before turning the knob, frowning when it didn't open. _Of all the times to lock the door..._ he grumbled, banging his head tiredly against the door. _I could just sleep here_. He mused, closing his eyes with a sigh.

Immediately, the door opened to reveal Damon, who caught his brother as he fell. He helped pull Danny inside and walk to the couch, closing the door when his brother had finally been settled down. He walked into the kitchen, returning with a glass of water and handing it to Danny, who thanked him before chugging it gratefully.

"Rough night?" Damon commented, sitting on the couch across from him.

"Mhmm. We lost five of our squadron before we managed to beat back Raphael's forces," Danny informed him, pressing the ice-cold glass against his throbbing head. "Any word on Stefan?"

In the month since Damon had been bitten and Klaus had undone his curse, quite a few things had changed. The first of which was that Klaus had healed Damon – and in exchange had taken Ripper Stefan on a road trip with him and secured a promise from Danny that he would not follow them. The second was that, after the two had disappeared and Damon was back to full health, Danny had told his brother everything – Alistair, Lucifer, him being a Nephilim, etc. Damon took the news surprisingly well, even making a few jokes out of Danny being the son of Satan.

The only thing he had left out was that he would soon become a father. It wasn't that he didn't trust Damon, it was more that didn't want to risk someone entering his brother's mind or compelling him for information. Danny, Karen, and the Winchesters were the only ones who knew about Danny's unborn son – though Karen was trying to convince him to at least tell Ric. Danny didn't think the man would be able to handle knowing that his sister was practically dead so soon after his girlfriend died, but knew that he would have to tell him eventually.

The last thing that had happened was that the war with Raphael had officially begun. Cas had placed him on the front lines, combating Raphael's forces alongside other angels. The battles were rough and brutal, even with Danny drinking Cas' blood on a – now daily – basis. He was just grateful that he hadn't had to face Raphael on the battlefield yet, he wasn't quite sure he'd be able to handle it.

"No. Just a bunch of dead-ends and a few maybes," Damon replied, leaning back against the couch. He frowned when Danny groaned, massaging the dark circles beneath his eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose. "Are you alright?"

"Fine. Just angel radio – still not used to it," Danny grunted, relaxing when the voices faded away.

"Still don't get why your friend made you turn that on – all it does is give you a headache."

"It's in case I need to be contacted quickly by him or other angels. It's hard to dial up 1-800-SALVATORE when you're in Heaven – or in some other place with no cell service," Danny informed him tiredly, scowling at the glass of water in his hand and wishing it was bourbon.

"You know, you could have a drink and he would never know," Damon told him, noticing his brother's look.

"Except for the fact that I promised to never lie to him."

"Yeah, that was your first mistake," Damon informed him, receiving a half-hearted glare in return. "I just don't think it's right that some dick angel is ordering you around. No alcohol, no human blood – what's next? No sex?"

Danny stared down at his empty glass, not responding. It was true that Castiel had told him not to drink alcohol – which Danny could understand, he didn't want to show up to the battlefield absolutely hammered. But Castiel had also forbade him from drinking anything other than his blood. Cas' reasoning for this was that human blood might weaken him, diluting the angel blood he was already drinking. Danny didn't really get it, but figured the angel knew what he was doing – at least, he hoped he did.

"Cas knows what he's doing," Danny eventually mumbled.

"Bullshit," Damon snorted. "He's clueless – and it's going to get him – and you – killed."

 _It almost did_. Danny recalled tiredly, twisting the glass in his hands as he turned to look at the slowly burning fire in the fireplace.

 _Danny's eyes glowed brightly as an angel rushed towards him, blade raised to stab him in the brain. The hybrid raised his own blade, deflecting the blow. The angel – a brown haired male with a crisp suit – threw out a punch with his left hand, only to have it caught by Danny's right. With a twisted smirk, the hybrid twisted the angel's arm, hearing an audible 'snap' as it was turned 360 degrees. The angel gave a screech of pain, giving Danny the opening he needed to stab him in the chest. Light poured from the angel's eyes and mouth as he screamed before falling to the ground, wings burnt on either side of him._

 _Danny looked around for his next target, spotting Cas trading strikes with a female angel._ _ **He seems to be holding his own.**_ _The hybrid mused, twirling his blade in his left hand before switching it off to his right. He was about to turn away to look for another foe when he spotted another angel approaching Castiel from behind._ _ **Not on my watch, you dick.**_ _Danny snarled, his face vamping out._

 _He vamped towards the assailant, lifting up his blade just in time to stop him from striking Cas. The angel seemed surprised to see him there, something Danny used to his advantage. He punched the angel in the face, startling him before twisting his wrist, knocking the blade from the angel's hand before stabbing him in the face._

 _"Nobody. Touches. My. Angel," he snarled, staring down at the burned-out vessel._

 _He turned around, almost jumping in surprise when he came face-to-face with Castiel._ _ **Huh. Guess he beat his opponent.**_ _He surmised, glancing around Cas to see the angel he had been fighting was dead behind him. Cas glanced at the angel Danny had killed, surprise and gratitude showing on his face for a brief moment. Danny grinned, about to say something when Cas' expression darkened. The angel shoved Danny to the side, blade plunging into the abdomen of the angel that had appeared behind the hybrid._

 _With his would-be killer dead, Danny blinked at Cas, his heart racing at the thought of how close he had come to dying. Cas turned toward him, reaching out a hand to help Danny up. The hybrid took it gratefully before being hoisted up. He gave Cas a fleeting grin, receiving one in return before they both noticed more angels approaching them. With a small nod to each other, the two stood back to back, ready to face the oncoming assault._

"-anny. Danny! Hey!"

Water was splashed in the hybrid's face, shocking him out of his thoughts. He glanced around, seeing Damon standing before him holding an empty glass in his hand. His eyes then settled on the fireplace, where the flames had turned from red and orange to a blueish white color. Immediately, Danny severed the flow of magic coming from him and the fire returned to normal. He gave a sheepish look as Damon sighed in relief before sitting back down on the other couch.

"Dude, you need to be more careful. You could've burned the house down," Damon informed him lightly.

"Sorry," Danny mumbled. "It's hard to control it sometimes – especially lately."

"Ever considered the fact that maybe – just maybe – it's a sign that you shouldn't be drinking angel blood?" Damon questioned sarcastically.

"Ever considered the fact that you're a dick that has no fucking clue what he's talking about?" Danny snapped back, eyes glowing.

The fire flared up a bit as it changed colors once more. The lights began to flicker a bit as the house shook lightly, prompting the younger Salvatore to raise his hands in surrender before apologizing. Danny relaxed somewhat at this – his magic following suit – before watching his younger brother begin his trek upstairs. The old hybrid ran a hand through his hair before running it over his face and sighing. _Lucifer's balls, Damon might be right. I might have a problem._ He clenched and unclenched his hand before looking at the dying fire, determination in his eyes. _But I can't stop. Not when Cas and the Winchesters need me._

* * *

 _June 22, 1010_

Danny lay on his bed that morning, hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. Once more, he had not slept – not that he needed to, but he enjoyed doing so when he didn't have nightmares. And that was what kept him up at night, the nightmares. He had been used to having them for years now – though they had been off and on lately – but there was a big difference now: he had been drinking angel blood.

The first night he had gone to sleep after starting his regimen of angel blood had not gone well. He had been reliving his time in Hell – a common theme in his dreams – and had woken up abruptly to his windows and light bulbs shattering. Damon had rushed into the room and asked what was wrong – which prompted the hybrid's confession of who and what he was. Since then, Danny had not slept, afraid that he may wake up one day to the house on fire.

A vibrating coming from his nightstand interrupted his staring contest with the ceiling. He turned his head to the side, staring at the glowing, vibrating phone. For a moment, he debated not answering it – wanting an uneventful day for once. He then gave a sigh, turning back to the ceiling before reaching over and grabbing the phone. He answered it, not even looking at the caller ID as he pressed it against his ear.

"Hello, Castiel," he answered in a monotone voice.

"You overslept," the angel's voice replied.

" _Au contraire, mon ami_ ," Danny replied, mild amusement in his tone now. "Oversleeping would imply that I slept at all – which I didn't."

"Well, then you're late," the angel informed him.

"Thank you, Time Wizard, I had no idea," Danny replied mockingly. He then sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as a headache forced itself upon him. "I'll be down in a couple minutes."

Danny hung up the phone, lying in bed for a few more seconds before sighing and sitting up. He swung his legs over the edge of his bed, standing up and walking over to his dresser. He pulled out a cerulean blue v-neck – one of his attempts at trying to add other colors to his wardrobe – and a pair of black jeans. After putting them on, he went over to his closet, opening and examining the contents. His fingers ghosted over the plaid flannels and black jackets before settling on a black leather jacket. He pulled it on before reaching down and picking up a pair of black strappable boots. Putting them on, he exited his room, locking the door behind him and heading down the hall.

He paused when he heard the voice of Andie before he continued onward, taking the stairs two at a time. He made his way to the front door, opening it and revealing Castiel standing there with his hands behind his back. The angel nodded in greeting as Danny exited the house, closing and locking the door behind him. He then placed a hand on the hybrid, teleporting them to a warehouse somewhere in Wisconsin – at least, that's where Danny assumed they were.

Stumbling, the hybrid placed his hands on his knees, huffing out, "One of these days, I'm gonna puke."

Cas ignored Danny's comment, handing him a large vial of his blood. Danny took it – with some mild trepidation, admittedly – making a comment about how Cas was practically his drug dealer now. The hybrid chugged it under the watchful gaze of Castiel, giving his body a shake as the familiar power surged through him and his eyes glowed an ice-blue color once more.

"Have you been practicing?" Castiel questioned, beginning to walk towards a door at the end of the warehouse.

"If, by 'practicing', you mean almost destroying my house, then yes. I got some hefty practice in last night," Danny replied bitterly, falling into step beside the angel. "I thought these exercises were supposed to help me control my powers. Instead, I feel like my control has been slipping – like they're controlling me."

Since that day when he had telekinetically thrown Damon through the balcony door – and after he had shattered his windows during his nightmare – Danny had been afraid that he might one day accidentally hurt or even kill his brothers – or even his own son. He had then reached out to Castiel, asking the angel to teach him to control his powers. Cas had obliged him, working with him daily on various exercises – telekinesis, pyrokinesis and the like. He had also started teaching the hybrid Enochian, something Danny found fascinating.

"Control comes with time, Danny," Cas informed him, and not for the first time. "Besides, it's not just your powers you need to control; it's your emotions. Your powers are obviously directly linked to your emotions – when you get angry, it lashes out. The ground shakes, the lights flicker, fire flares up and goes out of control."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Danny replied, scratching the back of his head. "But there's not much I can do about it. Vampires have unnaturally heightened emotions – we feel things differently and much stronger than normal people do. Only way to stop that is to shut off my humanity again – and I don't think anyone wants that."

"Surely it can't have been that bad?" Castiel questioned, turning his head to look at him curiously.

"Well, apparently it was bad enough for the archangel of partying to feel the need to 'rehabilitate' me. I trust Gabriel's judgement on pretty much anything. So, if he says I'm better off how I am now, I believe him," Danny paused, gritting his teeth. "Believ _ed_ him."

The temperature in the room dropped a few dozen degrees, ice forming along the walls of the warehouse. Castiel watched it warily, noticing that he could see both his own breath and Danny's. He put a hand on the hybrid's shoulder, prompting him to turn and face the angel. Cas stared at him before gesturing to their surroundings. Danny grew alarmed for a moment before forcing himself to relax and push away his feelings of grief and guilt. His eyes lost their glow as he inhaled and exhaled slowly, noting that the temperature returned to normal.

Castiel looked at him for a moment longer before nodding and releasing him, continuing his walk to the door. Danny followed him, a bit more subdued now. Cas waited until the hybrid was beside him before opening the door. On the floor of the almost empty room was a Devil's Trap, in the middle of which was a chair. Tied to the chair and gagged was -

"A demon?" Danny questioned, disgust evident in his voice as he looked upon the creature's grotesque face, barely able to see the man behind it.

"Yes. I figured it was time you learned how to smite a demon," Castiel told him, entering the room with Danny following close behind him.

"Bitchin'. How do I do it?" Danny questioned, walking closer to the thing.

"Place your hand on its face," Cas instructed, watching as Danny did so. "Now, call forth your power and use it to smite the demon."

Danny looked at the angel, a bit perplexed at the vague instructions. With a small shrug, Danny closed his eyes and tapped into his Grace, opening his eyes to reveal glowing orbs of blue light. He allowed the power to flow through him to his hand, frowning when, instead of the light that he usually saw come from Cas when he smote – smited? - a demon, icy-blue veins sprouted forth from his hand. _What the fu -_

Visions interrupted his thought suddenly.

 _A man, pushing his laughing daughter on a swing._

 _That same man, giving his son a piggyback ride as he held his arms out, pretending he was an airplane._

 _A birthday, another little boy blowing out his candles as the father snapped a picture._

 _The father and his three kids, standing in front of a grave, each of them placing a flower upon it. The father hugged his children close, promising to never leave them._

Danny withdrew his hand as though he was burned. _Did I just..._ He looked down at his hand before looking at the demon-possessed man. _See his memories?...I forgot. I forgot that they're not just demons – they're people possessed by demons. They're fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters – innocents. And I've just been killing them without a second thought._ He realized, disgust with himself showing on his face.

"Danny? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Castiel questioned, placing a hand on the hybrid's shoulder.

Danny looked at his hand before turning back to the man, determination in eyes as he said in an authoritative tone, " _Exorcizamus te, omnis immundis spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica. Ergo, draco maledicte. Ecclesiam tuam securi tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos!"_

With the exorcism finished, the demon smoked out of the man, leaving the slumped over shell behind. Danny worried for a moment that the man might be dead, but relaxed when he noticed he was still breathing. He walked closer to the man, kneeling beside him as he began to untie his bonds, removing his gag as well. The man looked at him, fear and relief in his brown eyes. _Eyes like Gabriel's._ Danny couldn't help but think.

With a reassuring smile, Danny put a hand on the man's shoulder and looked him in the eye, turning on his compulsion. Danny compelled him to forget being possessed – and about him and Cas – before telling him that he had been kidnapped and had escaped but had no recollection of the incident. The man nodded robotically before Danny released him, allowing him to leave the warehouse and go back to his family.

"Why did you do that?" Cas demanded as soon as the man had left.

"The vessel – the man – was innocent. There was no reason to kill him," Danny informed him, turning to look at the angel.

"And since when has the life of a demon's vessel concerned you?"

"Since just now, when I realized they were people – innocent people. People with lives and family and kids. That man, he has three kids – he's all they have. I couldn't take that away from them," Danny told him, clenching his hands and looking at the opposite wall. "All kids deserve at least one parent who's there for them and loves them no matter what. Perhaps if I had had that from the beginning, I would've been different. I would've been better."

* * *

Cas dropped him back in front of his house that night, seeming surprised to see a bunch of teens leaving the house in droves. Danny, while knowing that there was going to be a party, had not expected it to be this large. Ordinarily, he would've been pissed off at this – a bunch of horny teenagers in his house trashing his furniture, why wouldn't he be? Fortunately for everyone currently leaving, he was both distracted and on a mission.

He nodded farewell to Cas before lightly jogging toward his house, sidestepping around the various teenagers. He eventually made his way inside, closing the door and locking it when the last of the teenagers left. He looked around the house, irked at the empty cups, spilled alcohol, and all-around messy atmosphere. He shook his head, resolved to worry about it later. He tilted his head to the side, listening closely for any sign of Damon. He heard the sound of smashing objects coming from Stefan's room, prompting the hybrid to vamp up the stairs to see his younger brother.

He leaned against the doorway as watching Damon set down an acoustic guitar before asking, "What happened?"

"Stefan showed up and killed Andie," Damon informed him, turning to look at his brother.

Danny winced sympathetically before saying, "My sympathies, brother."

Damon squinted at him, saying, "You seem...weird. What's up?"

"I'm learning and growing as a person – becoming a better human being, blah blah blah," Danny rolled his eyes, strolling into the room and laying down on Stefan's bed.

"Sounds painful," Damon snickered.

"Oh, it is. I hate it so much," Danny informed him, sitting up and putting his elbows on his knees, fidgeting his hands. "It's made me realize something, though. The life I lead – the job I do – eventually I'll come across something stronger than me, and it'll kill me. Hell, maybe this war'll do me in." He held up a hand to forestall Damon's protests. "I don't know when it might happen, but..."

"But?" Damon prompted when Danny paused for a while.

"Damon...for the first time, I'm going to ask you to do me a favor," Danny told him, his face taking on a serious expression. When Damon nodded for him to go on, he continued, "When I became a Nephilim...my body it... changed. Apparently, while vampires are infertile, Nephilim are not." Damon's eyes widened comically at this as he caught on. "Karen's pregnant, and we're having a son. I want you to be there for him as he grows up – teach him about family, what the Salvatore name really is. Don't let him grow up not knowing that someone that shares his blood loves him. Promise me you'll be that person – the one he can count on to love him even when I'm not around to tell him. Promise me, Damon. Promise me."

Damon was silent for a moment before he finally said, "I promise, big brother."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, etc. are welcome. Requests for updates are not. (Seriously, gives me really bad anxiety when I see them.)**

 **Review Response:**

 **Peetato1989:** Awesome chapter! I get real excited everything I log in and see that this story is updated... Are we gonna get any actual Katherine torture by Danny? Cause that would be pretty awesome... And not to go all PJATO but I think it would be pretty awesome if some other pagans made even a cameo... like Poseidon surfing with Danny (he did teach him right)? Also... will Danny be accompanying Klaus on his hybrid making mission... that would be much cooler than Stephen IMO.

 **A: Not sure if I'll put any on-screen (or on paper/story, as the case may be) torture scenes unless I get some sort of public outcry for it. If there are torture scenes, they'll probably be mostly psychological, since I think Danny would get more of a kick breaking her mentally and emotionally rather than physically. In regards to pagan cameos...well, we'll just have to see. I already have plans for Danny to run into some of the gods that the Winchesters did. Other than that, not much else planned (I'm also a big PJATO fan, btw.). I couldn't figure out a way to shove Danny along with Klaus on his little mission. He had already promised to help Cas with the war against Raphael, which doesn't leave time for much else. Hope you understand.**

 **Audience Participation:**

To get right to the point, I read a review by Peetato1989 that made me think and gave me some interesting ideas. One of the questions was in regards to a pagan cameo - such as Poseidon, who taught Danny how to surf.

The chapter(s) that I am currently working on do(es) involve stories from Danny's past - such as his meeting with John Winchester. It made me think: why not write about other meetings and things that have happened to Danny over the course of his life? That lead me to this question: why not ask the readers what stories they would like to hear about?

And so, I ask you, dear readers, what stories would you like to hear? Write a review and tell me what you want, and I will do my best to fulfill your desires. (Note: not all ideas will be used in the chapter I am writing. They may, however, appear at other points in the story - or in other Daniel Salvatore stories that I plan to write.)


	30. Chapter 30: Return of the Hybrid

**Chapter 30: The Return of the Hybrid**

 _August 30, 2010_

"Damon, remind me again why I'm here."

"Because, it's the Founding Family potluck, and we're part of the Founding Families," Damon explained, stirring one of the many pots of chili.

"Y'know, I throw up in my mouth a little every time I hear that term," Danny grumbled.

It had been a little over month since Danny had come clean to his younger brother about everything – with the exception of Lukas – and resolved himself to become a better person. According to Damon, that involved getting out and socializing with the commoners – sorry, _citizens_ \- of Mystic Falls.

He had also come clean to Ric, receiving a right hook to his face for his troubles. Afterward, Ric had calmed down a bit and had been equal parts excited about getting a nephew and grief-stricken over the knowledge that he'd lose his sister. He had tried to demand custody of his unborn nephew, to which Danny responded that – despite his efforts to become a better person – that he would make Ric spontaneously combust if the man ever tried to take his son away from him. Ric had backed down at this, respecting the ferocity with which Danny protected his unborn child and realizing that an immortal and nigh unkillable being would probably be the better option for taking care of a – most likely – supernatural baby.

The war with Raphael had died down a bit after word had spread that Castiel had a supernatural killing machine on his side. Danny was both proud and relieved at this. He was proud because he had essentially scared an archangel away from fighting him, and relieved because he now had time on his hands, which he used productively – either visiting Karen and his unborn son or taking up hunting again, sometimes with Kate in tow.

"You do realize that I hate like, 98% of these people, right?" Danny questioned, sniffing some sort of green chili and recoiling immediately.

"I'm guessing Ric and I are the 2% you don't hate?" Damon surmised, receiving a nod in return. "Look, just stick around until the end of the council meeting, then you can leave, alright?"

He received a grumbled agreement in response. Ric chose that moment to appear in front of the brothers on the other side of the table, clutching a beer in his hand.

"I'm gonna let you in on a little secret," Damon told the man. "Founders parties are just an excuse for the council to gather in back rooms and plot against vampires."

"Hence why I don't go to these things. I prefer to do my plotting out in the open where everyone can hear about it and ruin it," Danny replied sarcastically, eyeing Ric's beer before receiving a nudge from Damon.

"Hey, uh, I think you need to take a beat with Elena," Ric informed Damon, seeming to start his own line of conversation.

"Excuse me?" Damon questioned, turning to face the man.

"Aaand that's my cue to leave. See you at the AA meeting, Damon," Danny saluted him, turning away and walking toward the mansion.

Danny walked through the mansion, eventually finding his way to the former Mayor's office. He sat down in one of the armchairs, rolling up the sleeves of his tan plaid flannel before readjusting his backwards black baseball cap. When Damon had forced – asked – him to attend the Founders' thing, Danny had decided to dress down quite a bit, wanting to give the correct impression that he did not care about the council, nor did he remotely take it seriously. To that end, he had worn his flannel, frayed blue jeans, brown boots, his hat, and a grey V-neck shirt.

When members of the council started filtering in, he started receiving odd looks, much to his amusement. _All I need is a bottle of Bud and I'd be a regular redneck among these bourgeois buffoons._ Danny snickered to himself as he pulled out his phone and began playing Tetris on it. When everyone had finally gathered, night had fallen and the Mayor had begun talking – most of which Danny tuned out in favor of staring blankly at Damon.

"- There have been no incidents of question since spring. It's been...quiet," the Sheriff was saying.

"Anyone else have anything to add to the minutes?" the Mayor asked, glancing at the Salvatore brothers. "Damon? Daniel?"

"Only a very strong desire to pitch myself off the nearest -" Danny began.

"Ah, no," Damon interrupted loudly. "I think the sheriff covered it, Mayor Lockwood. Looks like we've made it through the worst."

Damon rose from his seat to get a drink as Mayor Lockwood dismissed the meeting, allowing everyone to leave the room as she and Sheriff Forbes made their way over to Damon. Danny went back to playing Tetris as a large man entered the room, just as the last person left.

"I have a question," he – Bill, according to Mayor Lockwood – said. "Do you three think everybody on the council is clueless...or just stupid?"

"Why can't they be both?" Danny questioned, raising an eyebrow and briefly glancing at the man.

"And...who are you supposed to be?" Bill questioned, finally noticing Danny.

"Daniel Salvatore. Professional asshole and hunter extraordinaire of all things supernatural," Danny responded, glancing up at the man once more. Something clicked into place as he pointed and said, "And you're the asshole who tortured his own daughter for being something she couldn't help. Y'know, there's a spot in Hell reserved for people like you."

"And are you going to be the one to put me there?" Bill retorted, striding closer to him.

"Only if you say 'please' first," Danny smirked back, rising to his feet and standing about an inch above him. "I do prefer it when people use their manners. Makes everything so much more...civil. Even murder." His eyes glinted as he scrutinized the man. "Although, getting rid of a child abuser would be more like a public service than actual murder."

"Huh," Bill scoffed, putting his hands on his hips. "And what will the council do when they find out what you and your brother really are? Do you think they'll do the world a public service and get rid of a couple more parasites?"

"Ooh, snippy," Danny replied, starting to enjoy the back and forth banter. "I do hope you're not threatening me and brother, Cameron Tucker, because people who do that tend to end up dead. I would say 'just ask insert name of person here', but they're all dead, so..." He poked the tip of the man's nose, smiling genially as he did so. "Hope you rot in Hell. Good night ladies, Damon." He nodded to each of the people in turn before turning back to Bill. "... You can go fuck yourself."

He then pushed past the man and exited the office. _That was fun. Maybe I should attend more of these council thingies._ Danny mused as he walked through the mansion and out the door.

* * *

 _August 31, 2010_

Danny sat crisscrossed on the floor, eyes closed as he inhaled and exhaled slowly. Over the past month, he had taken to meditating every morning, finding that it centered him and gave him better control of himself and his powers. Even Cas had noticed a marked improvement with less and less 'accidents' occurring – not to mention the fact that he was able to focus better during their training sessions.

The duo noticed that Danny had a remarkably easier time with pyrokinesis and – to a slightly lesser extent – terrakinesis. Essentially, anything involving the elements came naturally for him, something that stoked the hybrid. It made him feel like the Avatar – not the lame blue people, but the cool one from the not-anime anime show. He was now able to conjure fire, -though it retained its blueish white color, much to his pleasure – and somewhat control it, so long as he maintained a cool and level head. Hence, the meditation.

His meditation was interrupted, however, when he heard the doorbell ring. He heaved a sigh before rolling his eyes and getting to his feet slowly, carefully stretching as he did so. _Wish Damon was here to answer that._ He grumbled silently, recalling the note his brother had left stating that he was road tripping with Katherine.

He looked down at his attire, noting the long-sleeved white hippie shirt and dark blue sweat pants. _Am I really going to answer the door dressed as a tree-hugger?_ He pondered before shrugging and walking toward his bedroom door. _Yes. Yes, I am_. He locked the door behind him before heading down the hall, down the stairs, and toward the front door. He opened it, revealing -

"Klausosaurus Rex," Danny grinned at the hybrid, opening the door wider to allow him inside, closing the door behind him. "To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing my favorite paranoid mass-murderer?"

"Let's skip the friendly banter shall we, Daniel?" Klaus responded, walking over to where Damon kept the bourbon and perusing it carefully.

"Do we have to? It's one of the few joys I have left in life," Danny replied, giving a mock pout. He rolled his eyes at the hybrid's unimpressed look before adopting a faux serious expression. "Fine. Greetings, Mr. Mikaelson, what can I do for you this fine day?"

"You can tell me what your brother is hiding from me."

"Which one?" Danny replied in a tone of forced politeness, his left eye twitching as he fought the urge to make an unnecessary comment.

"You know damn well which one," Klaus snapped back, vamping toward Danny and grabbing him by his neck, slamming him into a wall. "What is Stefan hiding?"

"Uh...years of repressed mommy and daddy issues? A secret appreciation for Celine Dion's music? A horrible taste in women? No wait, that's not a secret. Um..." Danny began to list off mockingly, unimpressed by Klaus' attempts at intimidation.

Klaus' eyes narrowed dangerously with each word. He opened his mouth – most likely to yell at Danny to give him a straight answer – but was interrupted by a headbutt to the face. Startled, his grip on Danny slackened, allowing the Nephilim to raise an arm up, grab Klaus' and snap it in one fluid motion. The hybrid gave a mingled shout of pain and rage before setting his arm straight, his face vamping/wolfing out. The two stared at each other before rushing forward, exchanging punches and kicks. At one point, Danny was thrown against the fireplace, barely managing to roll out of the way once he landed as Klaus pounced at him, trying to bite him.

That reminded Danny to avoid hitting him in the face, instead taking body shots at the hybrid. Klaus seemed a mixture of surprised and frustrated that Danny – who, as far as he was aware, was almost 800 years his junior – was able to keep up with and match his speed and strength. Eventually, Danny managed to pin Klaus to the wall, wherein he made a grave mistake: he had left himself open. Klaus turned his head, biting the older Salvatore's right arm, eliciting a snarl of pain from him. He grabbed Klaus by the front of his shirt and threw him at the fireplace, summoning up his power and throwing out his right hand to hold him above the fireplace.

Klaus struggled for a moment before looking at Danny, surprised to see his glowing blue eyes before he shouted, "What the hell are you?!"

"Short version: turns out I'm the son of Lucifer," Danny replied, spitting out the blood in his mouth from when Klaus had managed to punch him. "Now, here's how this is going to work, I'm going to set you down, and we're going to have a civilized conversation – with some friendly banter mixed in, of course. No more fighting, deal?"

After a moment of silence, Klaus slowly nodded in agreement. Danny carefully lowered his arm, setting the hybrid down on the ground. He rolled up his sleeve and glanced at his arm, scowling at the already festering bite mark. _Fuck me. That does not look good._ He rolled it back down, sitting down on one of the couches and laying his right foot over his left knee. Warily, Klaus followed suit, wiping the blood from his healing busted lip as he settled himself opposite Danny.

The two stared at each other for a moment before Danny launched into his tale, explaining about Lucifer and Alistair. He described his encounter with Gabriel, becoming a hunter, and saving the world – becoming a Nephilim in the process. He told Klaus of the war he currently found himself embroiled in – a war in which the fate of the world hung in the balance. He paused after this, biting his lip thoughtfully before biting the proverbial bullet and telling him about his connection with Lukas.

"No," Klaus shouted, rising from his seat angrily. "This is a lie – some attempt to trick me. You're trying to lure me into some sort of a trap by gaining my trust, but I won't fall for it -"

"His - my – favorite story that you used to tell was 'The Binding of Fenrir'," Danny cut him off, lips twitching upward slightly in amusement as the hybrid abruptly stopped and stared at him. "He - I – admired the way that Fenrir outwitted some of the gods, biting off Tyr's hand when they trapped him in the Gleipnir. He felt sorrow about how they trapped Fenrir and sealed him away for all eternity – or at least until Ragnarok rolled around. He felt you resembled Fenrir a bit – clever, cunning, strong – and the way your werewolf half was sealed away saddened him. He always referred to your wolf form as Fenrir – which you took as a term of endearment."

"How - how did you -?" Klaus managed to say.

"He promised you that he would help you see Fenrir again, no matter what it took," Danny finished, glancing at his hand and wishing he had a drink right about now.

"... You really are Lukas, aren't you?" Klaus finally said after a minute of silence.

"Sort of," Danny replied, meeting the hybrid's eyes. "I was him in a past life – I have his memories, his feelings, his thoughts – but I'm not him, not anymore. I'm Daniel Salvatore, and that's who I'll be until the day I die."

Klaus was quiet, seeming to digest everything he had been told. After a moment, he walked over to where the bourbon was, grabbing an empty glass and biting his wrist over it. He handed the blood-filled glass to Danny, who looked at it dubiously. _Cas said only angel blood but..._ He took a swig from the glass, draining it in one go before looking at his arm, relaxing when he saw it healing. _I don't think he'd mind if he knew it was to save my life...unless my Nephilim blood could've healed it after a while, in which case I worried about Klaus biting me for nothing._

* * *

"Care to explain to me why I got an angry phone call from Klaus asking how the hell you know about Mikael?" Danny questioned as Damon walked through his front door that night carrying Elena.

"Why does he have your number? And why do I smell blood?" Damon shot back, closing the door behind him with his foot.

"We had a fight. We resolved it. I gave him my number. He left," Danny explained in short sentences. "Do I have to repeat my question or are you actually going to answer this time?"

"Katherine found out about him and I used Mikael to threaten Klaus into handing over Elena," Damon finally replied, walking toward the library with his brother at his heels. "How do you know about Mikael?"

"Who do you think put him in the cemetery?" Danny raised an eyebrow as Damon set Elena down in an armchair before turning and looking at him incredulously. "I needed some leverage to keep Klaus away from me and you lot. Bastard underestimated me, I kicked his ass in a sword fight – super badass, you would've loved it – and had a witch cast a desiccation spell to trap him in the cemetery – the knowledge of which would be passed onto you and Stefan should I ever meet my untimely demise at the hands – paws? - of Klaus."

"Well, uh, thanks?" Damon replied, sitting on the couch. "Why didn't you tell us about Mikael? We could've solved the Klaus problem before it started."

"A number of reasons, my dear brother," Danny informed him, leaning against the doorway. "First and foremost of which is that I despise Mikael. I hope he stays in that tomb and rots for the rest of his immortal life. Which, since you now know about him, is kinda impossible, innit?" He received a nod in response. "Well, guess that's it then...unless there's something else I need to know about?"

"Klaus can make hybrids and Stefan has his humanity turned off."

"Fucking brilliant."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, etc. are welcome. Requests for updates are not. (Seriously, gives me really bad anxiety when I see them.)**

 **The audience participation mentioned in the last chapter is still ongoing. If there are any stories you want expounded/told, please leave a review and I'll do my best to get it written/typed out for you!**

 **Review Response:**

 **Peetato1989:** Ooh... Audience Participation... Here are my ideas of what stories from Danny's past you should tell...

Definitely meeting Poseidon and surfing... Maybe it's just my inner PJATO fan but Poseidon is awesome... Maybe even a Percy cameo?

Did Danny ever interact with the Augustin especially when Damon was prisoner? If so that would be interesting...

Maybe have a meeting with Hades or Thanatos - curious about their view on vampires since they cheat death.

 **A: The Poseidon thing will definitely be (and has already been) written out, not too sure about meeting Percy though. If he does meet Percy, it won't be written about in this book. Might do a one-shot compilation of Danny meeting people from various universes. Although, that would be pretty far off. As for Augustine...well, Danny was in Hell during that entire period, and according to Damon the foundation is dead. So...not much to do there until they show up later on in the series.**

 **As far as Hades and Thanatos go, maybe he'll meet one or both of them at some point in the book? Who knows?**

 **On another note:**

 **I'm usually working on a bunch (7, atm) of stories at any given time. I tend to swap between stories while I'm writing them, often because what I've just wrote has inspired me in some capacity to write for one my other stories. It's a big part of why updates to stories are so sporadic and random. One day, I'll get motivation and inspiration to write for "Always". The next, it'll be something Supernatural, Warriors, Naruto, One Piece, Or Yu-Gi-Oh! related. I apologize if that puts you off, but it's just something I do. If you're interested in reading some of these other stories - and you don't mind waiting a bit for them to be updated- let me know. If there's enough interest, I may start posting them.**

 **Currently, I'm debating releasing prologues of some of the stories I've written. If there's any interest in seeing more of my work, feel free to post a review and I'll toss up the prologues. (Currently, the only prologues I have that I'm satisfied with are for Naruto, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Warriors. So...yeah, if you have any interest in reading something from those universes, leave a review!)**

 **(Note: They will not interfere in any way with "Always". It's just some other things I like to write when I'm not in an "Always" mood.)**


	31. Chapter 31: Raphael v the Shredder

**Chapter 31: Raphael v the Shredder**

 _September 6, 2010_

"You need to concentrate."

"Oh, right, my bad. I was so busy trying _not_ to concentrate that I forgot to, silly me," Danny replied irately, staring at the wound on Cas' wrist.

They were back at the warehouse again that morning, and Cas had decided Danny should try to learn how to heal. So far, they had made no progress. Much as he tried to, the hybrid's brain couldn't seem to process much other than the fact that fresh angel blood was currently dripping down his favorite angel's wrist - a cut that Castiel had made himself in order to give the hybrid something to practice on.

The ground beneath their feet began to vibrate lightly, prompting Cas to put an end to the session and heal his cut. Danny panted heavily, wiping the sweat beading on his brow as he sat down, leaning his back against one of the support columns for the building. Cas reached inside his coat, pulling out a bottle of water and handing it to the hybrid. Danny scowled at it for a moment before unscrewing the cap, chugging half of it in one go.

"No word yet on Raph and the rest of the ninja angels?" Danny questioned, placing the cap on the bottle and beginning to twist it back and forth absentmindedly.

"They're not ninjas," Cas responded, not getting the reference, much to the hybrid's amusement. "And no, it's been oddly quiet. I must admit, I find it..."

"Disconcerting?" Danny supplied, receiving a nod in response. "Yeah, me too. Feels a bit like when Lucifer went quiet – like he's gearing up for something big. Think he might actually show up to the next battle?"

"Part of me hopes he does not – he would decimate our forces -"

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence."

"And another part of me believes that if we were to beat him, we would win over many to our cause," Cas finished before looking down at the hybrid curiously. "Do you think you could beat Raphael if you were to fight him now?"

"I'd definitely give it a shot – you know me, I love a challenge," Danny gave a half-smirk before seriously considering the question.

After a moment, he held up his right hand, palm up, and conjured up flames. He watched the blue-tinged white flames dance, flickering and waving, bending to his will. N _ot even a year ago, fire scared me. It paralyzed me. It would have killed me if not for Cas._ He curled his fingers, allowing the tips to harmlessly touch the flickering light before relaxing and letting the fire pulse in time with his heartbeat. _I learned how to make and control it – I didn't need to be afraid anymore... But I am. Not of fire, no. But Raphael killing me – I'm afraid of dying. Of leaving my son alone and at the mercy of that asshole, who would most assuredly kill him._

 _Can I really face Raph? Am I strong enough to?_ A hand on his wrist jarred him from his thoughts, and he looked up to see Cas looking at him, his expression unreadable. An upsurge of determination swept through him suddenly, replacing the doubt and uncertainty he had been feeling moments before. _It doesn't matter. I'm the only one strong enough to face Raph and protect my friends. Fear has no place here, I have to do what I have to do._

With that thought in mind, he allowed the flames to vanish from his hand. He twisted his arm, grasping Castiel's wrist and giving a firm nod. The angel nodded in return before tugging on his arm, pulling the hybrid to his feet. Danny opened his mouth, perhaps to vocalize his decision to fight Raphael if it came down to it, when he was interrupted by a sharp 'ping' resonating in his head. He grabbed the sides of his head with an audible groan, noting that Cas was doing the same. Many voices – each layered over the other – clamoring for Cas' attention, for his help. All of them saying the same thing: Raphael had come. And he had brought friends.

The voices faded abruptly, prompting Danny to ask, "Which base has he taken?"

"Utah - I'm instructing our forces to meet us behind the lines – we're launching an incursion and taking it back."

"Don't suppose we could just let him have it, could we? Utah is so weird," Danny half-whined, trying to suppress the looming anxiety.

"You say that about every place," Cas remarked, pressing his fingers to the side of his head as he contacted the other angels. "Are you ready to take on Raphael?"

"Probably not. But, what choice do I have?" the hybrid shrugged.

* * *

Danny hefted up his blade, blocking a blow from the blonde female with an audible ringing noise. With a grunt, he pushed her away, holding his blade like a javelin and throwing it at her, making it land squarely in the center of her chest. Light streamed from her eyes and mouth, a scream – its sound lost among the myriad of clanging blades surrounding the two - escaping her lips as she fell back, wings burning themselves upon the ground.

The hybrid rushed over, pulling out the blade with his left hand and swinging the blade around to block a strike from another of Raphael's forces. Danny pressed his other hand against the edge of his blade, pushing the other angel away with all his might – right into the waiting blade of Castiel. The trench coat wearing angel pushed the man off his blade, letting him fall on his companion. He then reached down, pulling Danny up from his kneeling position.

"How many are left on our side?" Danny questioned, glancing around at the fighting angels.

"Besides us? I'm not sure. Raphael's slain at least five of us," Castiel replied, looking over Danny's shoulder at the dark-skinned archangel.

 _Not including us, that leaves about fifteen of our forces against Raphael's, like, kajillion._ Danny grumbled, turning to see the aforementioned archangel standing behind his troops, shouting orders at them. One of the rebel soldiers broke through, leaping at Raphael with his blade raised. Raphael stabbed the airborne angel with his blade, tossing him to the side before returning to what he was doing. _Make that fourteen. Not including the ones that have died on the battlefield against the other angels._

"Danny," Castiel said, gaining the hybrid's attention. "Remember when I said you could only drink my blood?" He received a wary nod in return. "I am rescinding and amending that order. Do whatever you must to take out Raphael and his forces – without harming our own."

Danny's eyes alighted at that statement, excitement and apprehension coursing through his veins in equal measure. He gave the angel a curt nod before allowing his face to vamp out, fangs elongating and veins appearing beneath his glowing ice-blue and blood-red eyes. He turned his head as an angel – a male of Asian descent – approached them with his blade raised. Cas blocked the strike, giving one final nod of consent to Danny as he did so.

That was all Danny needed. He vamped behind the angel, grabbing him by the hair and tilting his head to the side before burrowing his fangs in his neck. He drained the angel dry, part of him enjoying the screams of pain he was receiving in return. When he had drank as much as he could, he stabbed the angel in the back, removing his blade as the man fell. He stared at Castiel, head tilting to the side at the angel's expression – one of mingled regret and resignation as he stared at Raphael and his army.

"Go. Get rid of Raphael," Cas ordered, his expression determined when he turned back to the hybrid.

Danny's lips quirked upward into a crazed grin before launching himself at Raphael's angels, fangs and blade tearing into every angel he came in contact with. All fear or trepidation that he had felt about fighting the archangel were thrown out the proverbial window in the wake of his bloodlust. It was after the third or fourth – he didn't care to keep count – angel that the rest of Raph's forces decided to move out of the way of the blood-covered death machine, giving him a clear path to Raphael. He didn't take it.

Instead, he ignored the archangel in favor of destroying his troops – after all, what use were wars and battles if you were the only one left on your side to fight it? At one point, he had shoved a flame-covered fist through an angel's chest, incinerating it from the inside-out. He watched as the screaming body crumbled into ashes with a mixture of glee and mild fascination. _Wonder if this is what Stefan feels like when he's a Ripper?_ He pondered, glancing about for his next victim.

Suddenly, he was blasted to the side and flung into a wall. His mind cleared as he gave a low snarl of irritation. _Who has the bollocks...?_ He looked up from his position on all fours to see Raphael striding towards him. _And he is pissed._ The hybrid noted, looking up at the flickering lamps in the old warehouse. _Granted, that could be me._ He amended, rising to his feet and twirling his blade in his right hand. His tongue swept the left part of his lower lip, a crazed smirk reappearing on his face as he tasted the angel blood still covering his face.

"Abomination -" Raphael began.

"Stupid head," Danny greeted him in return, much to the irritation of the archangel.

"You have cut down many of my brethren, but no more. Your reign of violence will end here, you disgusting, parasitic, filthy -"

"Blah, blah, blah. Bitch, bitch, bitch," Danny interrupted him with a roll of his eyes, moving his left hand in an imitation of him talking. "Look, if 85% of your dialogue is gonna consist of you insulting me or complaining, I'm gonna skip all that and jump straight to the part where I repeatedly stab you in the face. So, what's it gonna be? We gonna fight? Or are you going to continue to insult me like a five-year-old who recently discovered Google dictionary?"

Raphael's response was to launch a blast of energy at him. Danny ducked and rolled to the side, returning to his feet to block a strike from the archangel's blade. With one of his hands blocked, Raphael pushed out his other hand in an attempt to psychokinetically shove Danny away. _Not this time, assbutt._ The hybrid snarled, thinking of Michael as he thrust forth his own hand, parrying the force with his own telekinesis. The result was that both combatants were blasted back.

Unfortunately for Danny, he did not yet have the power of teleportation that Raphael did. Fortunately, he did have amazing combat instincts and quick reflexes. Raphael appeared beside him, kneeling on the ground, blade plunged just where Danny's head had been mere seconds ago before he had rolled away. The hybrid stood on his feet, panting from the near-miss as blood flowed down from the fresh cut on his forehead – just above his right eyebrow.

Raphael stood back on his feet, another angel blade falling from his sleeve into his left hand. _Oh, you cheating bitch._ Danny groaned, starting to grow sick of archangels who, apparently, didn't understand the concept of fair-play. The archangel swung down with his new blade, prompting the hybrid to block it with his own. Too late, he realized he had left himself wide open. Raphael's other blade came down, and blood spurted from his face as a vertical cut was made over his left eye. With a yell of pain and agony, Danny subconsciously reached for his power before thrusting forth his left hand, blasting Raphael back with the same ball of energy he had used earlier in their fight.

The force of the blast left a small crater where Raphael had stood, and almost broke the wall the archangel flew into. Danny clutched his eye with his left hand, pain lancing through him in waves. Every time one wave had ended, a new one would take its place – stronger and more forceful than its predecessor. Danny fell to his knees, screams of anger and agony echoing off the walls as the clanging of blades fell to a stop. The building shook as the lights flickered, bulbs bursting as the glass rained down upon them. Ice began to creep out from where the hybrid was, covering every surface in its frosty touch.

The hybrid didn't notice this however, too consumed by his own suffering to register anything else going on around him. Of every pain, every hurt, every experience he had ever had, this was by far the worst – and this was coming from the man who had spent 1200 years being tortured in Hell. At least then he knew that the pain would end and he would heal. This time, he had no such assurances. The cut was trying to heal itself – thanks to his vampire healing factor – but was stopped by some sort of magic that the blade itself seemed to possess. The cut reopened, and the pain began anew – a never-ending cycle of agony and torment.

"So, the abomination does feel pain," Raphael commented as he rose to his feet, looking at the remains of one of the angel blades Danny had shattered with his burst of power.

Danny opened his mouth to respond with something along the lines of 'fuck you', but all that came out was another scream of pain. Raphael, not fearing anymore retaliation at this point from the injured hybrid, strode slowly toward him. He raised the blade in his right hand, prepared to end the 'abomination's' life once and for all. Two things happened at this point: Castiel yelled his name, and Danny's sense of self-preservation kicked in.

The hybrid's left hand shot up, allowing the blade to pierce through it as he held fast to the bottom of the hilt. He then twirled his own angel blade in his right hand before reaching up and plunging it into Raphael's heart. He wasn't done there, though. He pulled the blade down in a diagonal line, going all the way to the archangel's right hip – essentially eviscerating him. The archangel gave a resounding scream of pain, almost eclipsing Danny's own previous screams, before vanishing abruptly from the battlefield. The hybrid's angel blade clattered to the ground.

Danny reached up, hand shaking as he pulled the angel blade from his left hand, an audible gasp of pain escaping him before he crumpled to the ground in a fetal position, clutching his eye. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned over quickly, grasping blindly for his blade. The hand retracted itself as Danny turned to see it was Castiel, his hands held up in a placating manner.

Danny relaxed, resting his head back on the ground as Cas turned his head, giving orders to the other angels to take the remnants of Raphael's army prisoner. As his orders were being followed, the angel gently coaxed the reluctant hybrid into a sitting position. He pressed his hand over Danny's eye, eliciting a small whimper of pain from the man as his hand began to glow brightly. To Cas' surprise and frustration, the injury remained, though Danny felt a noticeable decrease in the pain – it was now much more manageable. He likened it to that of a splinter – it was painful, but tolerable, and would only really bother him when pressure was put on it.

"Does it feel any better?" Cas questioned, taking the hybrid's left hand and trying to heal it as well.

"Loads," Danny murmured, his voice cracking a bit as his hand refused to heal as well.

Cas called out for one of the angels to go find and retrieve bandages before turning back to Danny and asking, "Can you see?"

"Dunno."

Danny slowly opened his left eye, hissing from the pain as he did so. Everything was white. Except for a few, human-shaped glowing blue lights. He frowned, looking at Cas' startled expression. The angel told him his eye was glowing – but not its usual icy blue. This time, it was glowing a pure, white color. Immediately, Danny shut off the flow of power, which would usually signal that his eyes returned to their normal hue. Apparently, this was not the case. While his right eye had returned to normal, his left eye continued to glow.

 _Plus side, good excuse to wear an eye-patch. Haven't done that since before Damon was born._ The hybrid grimaced, trying and failing to find the silver-lining in this whole endeavor as Cas began to wrap bandages around his left hand. _When did the angel get back?_ Danny pondered, looking at the tall, blue eyed male with his good eye and giving a small nod of thanks. _Think his name was Bartemius – no, wait, that's a character from HP. Um...Bart..Barty...Bathhouse...Bartholomew! That's it. I think._ The hybrid shrugged, not really caring anymore as Cas put layers of gauze and bandages over his left eye.

"This isn't gonna be permanent, right?" Danny questioned, pointing to his eye.

"It shouldn't be. With any luck, you should heal on your own – though it may scar...much like the other wounds you have received from angel blades," Cas responded, eyes flitting to the hybrid's abdomen before he placed a single white bandage over the cut on his forehead.

Danny nodded grimly in response, pressing his left hand over the spot where Lucifer – and later, Michael, had stabbed him. _I've been scarred by three out of four archangels. Gabriel, any chance you wanna come back to life and make it a family affair?_ The hybrid questioned, half-bitter, half-hopeful the archangel would answer his prayers. When silence was all that greeted him, he sighed and looked at his left hand, frowning when he noticed that Cas had wrapped it so thoroughly – covering everything up to the first joints of his fingers and including his wrist – that he could only barely flex his fingers.

When Danny had questioned why he had done this, the angel replied that, with where Raphael had stabbed him, trying to move any part of his hand would prove immensely painful. _Didn't hurt much at the time, though._ He frowned, looking down at the appendage. _Though, I suppose the pain in my eye sort of dwarfed everything else._

"Danny?"

"Hmm?" the hybrid responded, glancing back at Cas.

"I, uh, thank you. You risked your life to stop Raphael, and we would not have won this battle without you," the angel stated awkwardly.

"I know," Danny replied somewhat arrogantly.

"You know, a little humility would not kill you," Cas sighed, though he was relieved to see the hybrid returning to his normal self.

"Only on the inside, Cassie. Only on the inside," he grinned, placing his uninjured hand on the angel's shoulder.

"Wait. You're dying on the inside? Why didn't you tell me?" Cas demanded, worry lacing his tone.

Danny burst out laughing at this, all pain forgotten for the moment.

* * *

"What happened to your face?"

"Y'know, I'd ask you the same question. Except, I happen to know for a fact that you were born that way," Danny grinned in reply, keeping his injured hand hidden under a black coat draped over his arm.

It was night now, and Cas had deemed him well enough to return home and recover on his own. Even better, the angel had given him time off for the foreseeable future, as well as permission to drink whatever he liked. In addition, Castiel had loaded him up with all kinds of painkillers. This, normally, wouldn't have much of an effect, given that he was a vampire. But the angel had given him so much and so many different kinds, that he was now high as a proverbial kite and pain-free.

He had then transported him home, where the hybrid found his youngest, humanity-less brother in the process of pulling a couple stakes out of his abdomen. _He was probably being a dick and Ric stabbed him. I should probably be upset that Ric stabbed my brother – but I don't really care. Best part is, I don't even care that I don't care._

"So, what'd I miss?" Danny questioned, striding closer to his brother.

"You first," he retorted.

Danny rolled his eyes. _I don't have the patience for this._ He vamped over to Stefan, placing his right hand on the side of his head as he summoned forth his power. His eye glowed ice-blue as veins of the same color sprouted from his hand. They stretched over Stefan's face, changing his eyes the same color as his oldest brother's as he reached into his mind.

 _Klaus compelling him._

 _Drinking strippers, playing Twister, blood and bodies besmirching his Persian rug._

 _Rebekah moving herself in._

 _Stefan being an all-around dick at school._

 _Night fell, a party. He was vervained. Locked in Ric's trunk. The car caught fire, Elena saved him._

 _They were home. Stefan was being a dick again. Elena staked him._

Danny removed his hand, watching as Stefan fell to his hands and knees, gasping. The hybrid then stated, "This might sound a bit hypocritical coming from me, but having your humanity turned off is no excuse to be going around acting like a dick, Stefan."

"What - what are you?" he asked, rising to his feet.

"Y'know, that question is getting really repetitive," Danny remarked dryly. "It's also a very philosophical question. What am I? What are you? What are all of us, really, in the eyes of the universe and all who dwell in it?" He pondered the last for a moment before getting back on track. "At the moment, I'm the guy who now has to clean up his little brother's mess. Again."

The hybrid turned to leave, when Stefan reached over and gripped his injured hand. Hard. Reacting instinctively, Danny turned, grabbing Stefan and snapping his neck like a twig. He looked down at Stefan, head tilting to the side curiously as he wondered if he went too far. Realizing that he wasn't sober enough to care, he shrugged and resumed walking toward the front door.

Upon exiting, he quickly vamped to Elena's house, knocking politely on the door when he arrived. While he waited, he shrugged the coat onto himself, shoving his hands into the pockets as he rocked back and forth on his heels. The door was eventually answered by Ric, who seemed surprised by his appearance.

"What happened to your face?"

"What happened to yours? They run out of razors?" Danny shot back, raising his eyebrows in amusement.

"I'm not getting a straight answer from you tonight, am I?" Ric sighed, receiving a wide grin in response. "Can I at least ask why you're here?"

"Apologizing to Elena for Stefan's behavior," he shrugged. "Don't need an invite, just need to see her."

Ric stared at him for a moment before nodding and calling up the stairs for Elena. The teen made her way down the stairs carefully and Ric walked away from the door, allowing the two some privacy. Danny eyed the wounds on the side of her face, while Elena looked over his own with an expression akin to shock and confusion.

"What happened to your -?"

"You are, like, the third person to ask me that tonight. It's making me really self-conscious so can we please just...not?" Danny pleaded, grimacing slightly. He received a nod in return, prompting the hybrid to continue with, "I know about your adventures with Stefan today, and I want to apologize for my brother being an insufferable twat."

"Well, I, um... thank you?" Elena finally replied, not entirely sure how to respond.

"And, I also wanted to heal any pain he inflicted upon you so..."

He reached out his right hand, touching the side of her face as glowing veins spread over her cheek. Upon touching the burns, they began to heal over until there was nothing left but smooth skin. Danny looked at his work triumphantly, proud that he had finally been able to use the skill Cas had tried to teach him that morning. _Was that really this morning_? He pondered, the events of the day finally starting to catch up with him as exhaustion spread throughout his body.

Elena opened her mouth, perhaps to ask the same question Stefan had, but was forestalled when the hybrid walked backwards to sit on the swing that hung on the front porch. Her confusion only mounted when his head went back and soft snores escaped his mouth.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, etc. are welcome. Requests for updates are not. (Seriously, gives me really bad anxiety when I see them.)**

 **Review Response:**

 **msblovesdefan:** Hey, you know I love this story too much, right? I want you to know that anyway. We always get to see Danny and Damon. Now that Stefan has his humanity off, and even if it would be on in the future, can't we get to see some Stefan and Danny together? Come on! I miss Stefan, I find him cute.

 **A:** **No worries, your wish shall be granted. ;)**


	32. Chapter 32: Ghosts of Salvatores Past

**Chapter 32: Ghosts of Salvatores Past**

 _September 7, 2010_

Danny sniffed before stirring, frowning in confusion when he found himself in an armchair in his living room. _Perhaps Damon came to pick me up?_ He pondered briefly, gazing around the room for any sign of either of his brothers. _Something feels... off though._ He narrowed his eyes, pursing his lips in thought before he realized something: he narrowed his _eyes_. Both of them.

He lifted up his left hand, noting a triangle shaped scar on the back of it as well as on the palm. Tentatively – and with much hand shaking – he lifted his hand up to touch his left eye, sighing with relief when it did not pain him. He lowered his hand once more, tilting his head to the side as he listened to the sound of...nothing. _Maybe...I'm in my head?_ He wondered, starting to rise to his feet.

 _One way to find out._ He vamped over to the library, taking in the sparse and mostly empty shelves. What drew his attention, however, was a glass cabinet – one that was not present in his own home – that had a few books beginning to fill it up. Danny moved over to it, frowning when it did not open after he tried pulling on the handles.

"You didn't say the magic words," an amused voice said behind him.

Danny whirled about, a faint smile appearing on his face as he spotted the boy he had seen last time. The hybrid took a step forward, prepared to embrace him in a hug when he was stopped by the sudden appearance of a chess table. He rose an eyebrow at the boy who pulled a chair seemingly from nowhere and sat in it, gesturing for Danny to do the same. The older Salvatore blinked at him – savoring the fact that he could do so here – before snapping his fingers and sitting in the chair that appeared. The boy waved his hand, and the chess pieces arranged themselves on the board – black on his side, white on Danny's.

"So, what're the magic words?" Danny questioned, moving his pawn to E4.

"My name," the Elioud responded simply. He pondered the board for a moment before moving his own pawn to E5. "In that case is every mention of me – I figured it would be best to set up some sort of barrier or warding in case someone successfully broke into your mind."

"Y'know, you're sort of stealing the whole 'protective father' role away from me – and you're not even born yet," Danny remarked, moving his knight to F3. "...Do you like it? Your name, I mean?"

"I'm quite fond of it, actually. You chose well," his son responded, tapping his chin before moving his other pawn to F6. "You're probably wondering why you're here."

"The thought did cross my mind," Danny smirked, moving his knight to E5 and taking the boy's pawn.

"Hmm," the boy frowned. For a moment, Danny saw his own face in the way the boy's eyes narrowed and his lips puckered slightly in thought. Finally, he moved his pawn from F6 to E5, taking Danny's knight. With that done, he finally said, "I brought you here for a number of reasons. The first of which is selfish – I wanted to see you again. The second of which was to tell you not to be afraid."

"Afraid? Afraid of what? Raphael?" Danny questioned, moving his queen to H5. "Check, by the way."

"Nice move," the boy conceded, moving his king to E7 and out of check. "And no, not Raphael. I daresay you conquered that fear when you faced him on the battlefield." He gave Danny an approving smile – something that warmed the man's heart immensely.

"Then what?" Danny wondered, moving his queen to E5 – simultaneously taking the boy's pawn and putting his king back in check. "Check."

"I'm not sure," he shrugged, moving his king to F7 and out of check once more. "It was hard to see...there was darkness, and blood. I heard dogs but... not dogs. It's hard to explain."

Danny moved his kingside bishop to H4, remarking, "Check. Also, that's terribly vague, you know that, right? Am I going to be attacked by a werewolf? Is big bad Klaus finally gonna snap and eat me?"

The boy made eye contact for the first time, eyes narrowing sharply as they glowed a soft green color for a moment. _It appears I may have upset the boy._ Danny mused, watching as the boy's eyes flickered between green and ice-blue before settling back to their usual color. The Elioud released a slow breath before moving a pawn to D5, successfully unchecking his king once more.

"You should never doubt your family – nor should you keep secrets from them," the boy informed him. "Telling Uncle Damon and Uncle Ric was the right thing to do – but you shouldn't keep it secret from Uncle Stefan, Uncle Klaus, and the others. They're your family. If you want them to trust you, you have to trust them first."

"'Uncle' Stefan is an emotionless Ripper at the moment, and 'Uncle' Klaus is a bipolar paranoid with an ego the size of Russia and a temper to match it," Danny retorted, moving his pawn to D5 and taking his son's bishop. "Check."

"Oh, because you don't have your own flaws?" the boy challenged, moving his king to G6. "You're a blood junkie with a superiority complex to rival Uncle Klaus' ego. Not to mention that – roughly 95% of the time – you're not even completely sober. Should I continue or is that enough to start with?"

Danny pressed his lips into a thin line, moving a pawn to H4 as he mumbled that he was the one who told him to drink angel blood in the first place. His son nodded his head, conceding the point before moving his own pawn to H5. Danny moved his bishop to B7, taking the boy's pawn but leaving his own piece open for the taking. The Elioud gave a triumphant smile before taking the bishop with his own. The hybrid moved his queen to F5, mumbling "check" as he did so.

The boy moved his king to H6, saying, " _Semper_. _Aeternum_."

"What?" Danny perked his head up, moving his pawn to D4.

"Always and forever – the words you have on your shoulders. They mean something to you," the boy stated, moving his pawn to G5. "'Always and forever.' 'Family above all else.' When did those words cease to matter to you?"

"Who says they have?" Danny shot back, forcefully moving his queen to F7.

"Your behavior does," the boy informed him, his eyes flashing green once more as he moved his queen to E7. "Tossing one brother through balcony doors – snapping the neck of the other. Throwing Uncle Klaus around like a ragdoll – keeping secrets from the very family you swore to never lie to. The family you always swore to love and protect. Do those sound like the actions of a man trying to protect his family to you?"

A muscle in Danny's face spasmed as he fought to control his anger. Exploding now would only prove the kid's point – not to mention the fact that he didn't particularly want to get into a yelling match with his son. He settled for observing the board, reining in his anger by using old meditation methods – careful breathing, clearing his mind, and focusing on the task at hand. He moved his knight from H4 to G4, checking the king once more.

"Maybe because the last time I tried to protect my family, they died," Danny finally replied, shifting in his seat uncomfortably. "Family can't always be 'always and forever', kid. It's more along the lines of 'til death do we part'. I can't protect them anymore – perhaps I never could."

"That's complete bullshit – and you know it," the boy replied, moving his queen to G4 and unchecking his king once more. "So, what if it doesn't last forever? So, what if they die? You move on. You continue to be there and protect the family you still have. You face the insurmountable odds. You fight. You win. Just like you did in the battle against Raphael. You don't stop fighting for your family just because you're afraid you'll lose another. That's not the father – that's not the Daniel Salvatore I know. My father is no coward.

"My father is a fighter – from the day he was born. He did not cower to his father – to Giuseppe. He did not let Giuseppe hurt his brothers – he fought him. He protected Elijah from Mikael, despite the fact that the vampire could have killed him. He protected Stefan from Klaus' influence in Chicago. He helped Damon turn his humanity back on when Lexi failed to.

"Daniel Salvatore is a fighter. A protector. A warrior. He is my father – the hero. And he does not turn his back on family."

Danny stared at him, quiet for a moment as he digested his words. _The way he talks about me...really makes me feel like I am a hero. Or, I was, anyway._ He looked down at his hands, clenching them tightly. _Have I really changed that much? I... I've been feeling so...angry since Gabriel...since Gabriel..._ He swallowed back the tears, the emotions that usually surged through him whenever he thought of the archangel. _Gabriel...what would he think of me? Would he be disappointed that I've thrown away the very thing I died for? That I gave up on my family just because I lost him?_

He unclenched his hands, staring at the scar in the middle of his left palm. _I've been jumping from one battle – one fight – to another since he died. Lucifer, Klaus, Raphael... I stopped thinking about protecting my family along the way. I was selfish. I let my own pain – my own guilt, my own anger – allow me to lose sight of what really matters: family. Always and forever – family above all._

He looked up determinedly, moving his castle to H5.

"Checkmate," Danny stated before raising an eyebrow at the boy. "Where did you learn such foul language, by the way?"

"Pretty sure I take after you a lot," the boy chuckled, smiling triumphantly even as he knocked over his king.

* * *

The first thing Danny noticed when he came to was that he was not alone. The second was that the presence felt familiar – yet only distantly so. He tentatively sniffed the air, inhaling the faint aroma of stale booze, cigars, and death. _Where have I smelled that before?_ He furrowed his brow in thought. After a moment, it finally dawned on him – prompting him to groan internally as he placed his bandaged left hand over his right, effectively protecting his daylight ring.

"Shouldn't you be dead? Well, deader, anyway," Danny remarked dryly, not wanting to open his eye.

"You would know, Daniel. You are the one who killed me," the masculine voice replied.

"Repeatedly, yes, I remember. I once held those memories near and dear to my heart," he smirked. "If it makes you feel better, I regret the whole thing now. If I had known Hell existed...well, I wouldn't have bothered turning you into a vampire in the first place."

"Even after all these years...after the pain and torment you inflicted upon me – is your bloodlust not slaked? Is your hatred really so deep-?"

"Well, considering the fact that you abused both myself and my brothers – not to mention the fact that you shot and killed them...well, gee, Giuseppe, what the bloody hell do you think?" Danny countered sarcastically, finally opening his one good eye and glaring at the man.

The man rushed forward with a snarl, hands clasping around his throat. Danny grabbed his wrist, expecting to be able to easily pry the man off. When he did not move, he frowned, trying to gasp for air. _Fucking ghost magic._ He started seeing spots dance across his vision. Thinking quickly, he tapped into angel radio, using one of the lower frequencies that he and Cas tuned into when they needed to communicate with each other quickly and secretly. _Cas. Gilbert House. Bring salt...iron...hurry..._

His vision was almost completely clouded over with darkness when the pressure around his neck disappeared. He gasped for air, hand finding his neck as he sat up. A hand rested itself on his shoulder to steady him. Danny followed the hand up to see Castiel, looking odd with an iron poker in his hand instead of an angel blade. Looking past him, he saw Giuseppe reforming before their eyes, malice in his own.

Cas squeezed his shoulder, the only warning Danny received before they were angeled away. Castiel steadied him, looking around the alley he had transported them to, making sure they were alone. Danny rubbed his neck as the pain slowly dissipated alongside the bruises before leaning against a dumpster, right arm on its lid.

"Was that your -?"

"Biological father? Yeah, it was," Danny replied sourly, narrowing his eye.

"Didn't you kill him?"

"Yep," Danny responded, taking out his phone and dialing a number. The phone rang for a moment before the other person picked up, prompting the hybrid to ask, "Damon, care to explain why someone I killed tried to strangle the un-life out of me just a minute ago?"

"Geez, you too?" his brother groaned on the other side. "To keep it short: Vicki came back last night. Bonnie fixed it – and ended up screwing up somewhere and letting the rest of the unfriendly ghosts out. She's trying to fix it. Again."

"Well, she's doing a shit job at it, mate," Danny grumbled before registering the first part of what Damon had said. "Wait. What do you mean 'you too'? Someone attack you?"

"Yeah, Mason Lockwood. You?"

"Ghosts of Salvatores past," Danny replied vaguely, not really wanting to get into it. "Anyway, find some salt and some iron – it should help you keep them at bay while I try to fix this. You know, before the witch screws it up again."

"Thanks. You can find her at the old witch house. Good luck."

Danny hesitated for a moment, his conversation with his son replaying in his mind. _I never did apologize for throwing him through the balcony doors... Then again, now's hardly the time. I'll do that when the ghost of my dead biological father isn't trying to actively kill me. Again._

"You too, Damon. Stay safe," he replied instead.

He hung up the phone, turning his head slightly to face Cas once more. He briefly explained the conversation that had taken place, as well as his resolve to actually – finally – get involved in the affairs of Mystic Falls. It was something he hadn't done in quite some time. After all, he didn't exactly have a great track record when he did get involved. _Almost getting burned alive by John Gilbert. Being stuck in a room with my brothers and that bitch Katherine...speaking of, I should probably start chasing after her again at some point._ He mused.

Much as he had wanted to, when Katherine left Mystic Falls, he couldn't go after her. His sense of honor wouldn't let him. _She did technically save Damon's life. Only fair that I give her a head start._ He had eventually decided, after his thirst for revenge and his sense of fair-play warred with each other for a bit. _Besides, the chase will make it all the more fun when I finally catch her... unless she comes back to Mystic Falls first. Which is much more likely._

"...I understand that you and your father hated each other," Cas was saying, drawing Danny out of his thoughts. "But I did not expect him to actually try and kill his own son."

"Eh, figured it might happen sooner or later. Nothing ever stays dead around here," Danny shrugged, playing with the bandages on his hand. "Besides, though I may despise the...man, for lack of a better term, I understand his motivations. If someone turned me into the very thing I hated and tortured me for two and a half decades, I'd want to kill them from beyond the grave too."

"Didn't Lucifer turn you into a Nephilim?"

"I fail to see what that has to do with this particular line of conversation, Cassie," Danny replied dryly, reaching up to idly scratch the bandage on his left eye, wincing as he did so.

"Stop playing with that," Cas scolded him, slapping his hand away. "You hate angels. It's only fair that you would hate that Lucifer turned you into one. Or, well, half of one anyway."

"First off, I'm not self-loathing enough to hate myself for becoming something I couldn't help. That's Dean's schtick," Danny informed him, rubbing the top of his right hand. "Second, I don't hate all angels. I loved Gabriel, I like you, and I have mixed feelings on Lucifer. Lastly," his voice took on a whining tone. "It itches. Can I just take it off now?"

"I'll do it," Cas sighed, gently peeling off the tape and bandages. "How is Dean anyway?"

"Peachy. He's adjusting pretty well to a normal life. I even got invited to Nik and Arrow's birthday party in a few weeks," he told the angel, smiling a bit before hissing in pain as the tape was peeled off.

When the last of the bandages was removed, he kept his eye closed for a moment, reluctant to experience the pain he knew would come from opening. He took a steadying breath, releasing it shakily before slowly opening his left eye, his right twitching as he suppressed a growl of pain. Everything was blurred around the edges, with the exception of Castiel, who was glowing a mix of blue and white. He blinked, hoping to clear up his vision but accomplishing only another wave of pain.

"Your eye is still glowing," Cas informed him, leaning closer to peer at his eye.

"Still white?" he questioned, receiving a nod in return. "Brilliant."

He paused for a moment, trying to figure out a way to word what he was about to say. He was beaten to the punch, however, when the Seraphim began to speak again.

"Can you see out of it?"

"A bit. Everything is a bit blurred. Except you. You're glowing blue and white," he informed the angel.

He blinked again, face twitching as pain spasmed over him once more. His eyes widened in shock as he looked at Castiel, now able to see the glowing ring of light surrounding his head and the bright white wings flared out to the side. _Is this his true form?_ He pondered, closing his left eye. Cas returned to normal, in the visage of his vessel. Danny reopened his eye, frowning when he perceived the angel in all his shining glory. _He is really bright._ He groaned, closing his eye once more as a headache swept over him.

Cas placed a hand on the hybrid's shoulder as he almost fell to the ground. He helped ease him into a kneeling position before asking what was wrong. Danny briefly explained what he had seen, receiving confirmation from the angel that he had, indeed, seen his true form. The only question was how he was able to do so now – and why with only his wounded eye?

"Perhaps the magic in the blade interacted strangely with your own?" Cas suggested, helping the hybrid to his feet. "It may have sparked something in your Grace – enabled you to see what all angels see?"

"That only vaguely makes sense," Danny responded, lightly touching the cut going down his eye. "I do have a question, though – only vaguely related to the topic at hand. Before Papa Luci made me into a Nephilim, I was able to see the true faces of demons - and see magic. Why is that?"

"Maybe one of the gifts Alistair left for his descendants?"

"Gifts?"

Cas reached out a hand, touching the pendant around Danny's hand and pulling his hand away swiftly as a sizzling sound came from where he had made contact.

"The pendant was once Alistair's. It was made to protect the one who wore it – his blood," Castiel informed him, staring at the tips of his now red fingers. "It shields them from being tracked by angels, and lets them see what normal humans cannot. I would guess that it interacted with the – at the time – latent magic inside you..."

"What's wrong?" Danny questioned when the angel trailed off with a frown.

"Nothing," Cas shook himself out of his thoughts. "Just something I remembered about Alistair. It's nothing to be concerned about."

"I'll take your word for it," Danny replied in a dry tone, already growing tired of hearing the archangel's name.

* * *

"I thought you many things, Daniel. A coward was not one of them."

"Well, for the first time in my life, I, unfortunately cannot disappoint you there," Danny responded pleasantly, twirling his iron poker in his hand.

He had parted ways with Castiel just minutes ago, receiving the poker the angel had brought with him. As fate – and an unfortunate run of bad luck, apparently – would have it, he immediately ran into Giuseppe. _And my, does he look pissed._ Danny mused as the two began to circle each other warily. _Then again, not exactly a look I haven't seen before. Except this time..._

"It's weird to see you this pissed off and completely sober," Danny informed the man, receiving a glare in response. "Not sure if you're pissed off because you're sober or because I'm here...could be both..."

"Enough. I will hear no more words from the spawn of the Devil himself," Giuseppe spat.

Danny raised his eyebrows, mildly surprised that Giuseppe knew about that. _Then again, ghosts don't have much to do except stalk the living. Wonder how long he's been... stalking...me..._ His thoughts ground to a sudden halt. Giuseppe had been keeping an eye on him, no doubt about it. The question was, for how long? How much had he seen? Had he heard? _Does he know about my son?_ He pondered, narrowing his eye. He shoved the thought away for a moment. Thinking about it would get him nowhere. The only thing that he could do was keep Giuseppe distracted for a bit until he could make his escape to help the witch. _Best way to keep him distracted is to make him angry. Simple enough._

"The tragic part of that statement is that I'd much rather be Lucifer's son than yours," Danny informed him honestly before tapping his chin in thought. "It's gotta suck that the Devil would make a better father than you. Then again, you did set the bar astronomically low – woah!"

Danny jumped out of the way as Giuseppe dove at him with a yell of anger. Danny swung at him with the poker, smirking with satisfaction when the ghost grabbed it and automatically released it with a yell of pain. With his birth father momentarily distracted, Danny swung out with the poker again, landing a hard hit on the man's head. Giuseppe collapsed, eliciting a small frown from the hybrid. _He's supposed to have vaporized or something... unless the witch screwed up and gave the ghosts a greater foothold._ He realized with a groan. _Better get over to the witch house right away then._

He prepared himself to vamp over there, but was stopped when his cell phone started to vibrate. He pulled it out, frowning when he saw Elena's name on the Caller ID. He pressed the "Ignore" button and vamped away, stopping once more when his phone vibrated again. He took it out, giving a low growl when he saw it was Elena again.

"Bit pressed for time trying to fix your friend's screw-ups, Gilbert," Danny snapped when he answered the phone. "What do you want?"

"How about a little less attitude, for starters," quipped an eerily familiar voice.

"Lexi?" Danny questioned eyebrows raising in surprise.

"In the flesh," there was a pause. "Well, sort of. Anyway, we need your help with Stefan's detox."

Danny hesitated for a moment, torn between going to the witch house to fix the immediate problem and get rid of Giuseppe for good or to rush over to help Stefan. _Be selfish or selfless?_ He pondered, breaking the problem down to its most base components. _Helping Stefan would make up for snapping his neck last night, not to mention the fact that he's my little brother and it's my duty to help him. Getting to see Lexi one last time is just an added bonus. On the other hand..._

His head turned, facing northwest where he knew his unborn son was, defenseless against anything and everything. _There's still the chance that the ghosts might know about him and Karen. What if some of the people I've killed decide to go after them and take revenge?_ The thought alone was enough to send a tingle of fear and anger down his spine. _I can't turn my back on them_. _But nor can I turn my back on Stefan... I know what I have to do._

"Text me the address, I'm on my way. Just have to make a quick phone call first."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, etc. are welcome. Requests for updates are not. (Seriously, gives me really bad anxiety when I see them.)**

 **Also, updates may be a bit slow for a bit. There's a number of chapters I like to have pre-written before I post a new one, and I have yet to meet that number. This is due to a number of things in my life - stress, writer's block, illness, etc. I hope that you guys will be patient if I am unable to post a new chapter next week, and thank you for reading!**

 **msblovesdefan:** I really am happy to know that you will fulfil my wish. This chapter was all about Danny and Cas, what i meant last week was that, I just miss reading something about Salvatore brothers, and I love Danny too. Uh.. I kind of also meant what i said. Sorry, you know what I mean, bye and love ya.

 **A:** No worries, you'll get to see some Stefan in the next chapter.


	33. Chapter 33: One Last Dance

**Chapter 33: One Last Dance**

 _September 7, 2010_

Danny hesitated at the door of the jail cell that he knew two important – and one unimportant – people stood behind. He had called Bobby, alerting him of the ghost trouble in Mystic Falls, as well the uncertainty of whether or not the ghosts were confined to just Mystic Falls. Bobby assured him that he'd keep an eye on his baby mama, even going so far as to lock them underground in his panic room until it all blew over.

Having solved one problem, Danny took a deep breath before placing his hand on the door and opening it to face his next problem. Opening the door revealed Stefan, chained to a chair, and Lexi and Elena standing in front him. Stefan looked up at the noise, desperation and borderline anger on his face. Lexi and Elena turned to face Danny, the former of the two smiling widely at him.

Danny felt a smile of his own grow on his face before he vamped forward and embraced her in a hug. She hugged him back every bit as tightly as he hugged her, and Danny could feel water coming from his right eye. He chalked it up to the dust in the dingy cell, not wanting to admit that he was getting emotional over having someone he loved back in his arms again.

He pulled back a bit, cupping the sides of her face and staring at her, trying to memorize her face as though she might fade away at any second. _Which, she very well might if that Bennett witch ever decides to get her act together._ Danny conceded before tossing the thought to the side in lieu of continuing to stare at one of his favorite females in the entire world. He debated briefly on whether or not to kiss her when he was saved the trouble of deciding via a slap to the face.

"You need to get your act together, Salvatore," Lexi informed him, stepping back a pace and putting her hands on her hips. "Whatever happened to the guy who cared about his brothers and would never -"

"Bit late to the party there, Lex," Danny replied in a bemused tone, idly rubbing the right side of his face. "Already had that message drilled into my – evidently – thick skull. I am now striving to be a better person – a better brother. Not saying it'll happen overnight – or that I'll even succeed. But, I'm willing to give it a go. In the end, isn't that all that matters?"

Lexi stared at him for a moment, seeming to gauge whether or not he was lying before nodding and saying, "Yeah, I suppose so. But," she pointed warningly at him. "If you slip up, I will beat the ever-loving crap out of you until you're back on the right road. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am," Danny grinned, giving a mock salute before turning his gaze to Stefan. "So, how far along are we?"

"Five years without blood," Lexi informed him, stepping to the side and letting Danny move to stand in front of his brother.

"Ah," Danny replied, bending over and putting his hands on his knees, looking directly in Stefan's eyes. "You get it through your thick skull yet, baby bro?" He lifted a hand and knocked on the side of Stefan's head. "We're flipping your switch back on, whether you like it or not."

"Go to Hell," Stefan snarled back.

A twinge of irritation shot through Danny momentarily before he shoved it to the side, smiling genially as he responded with, "Been there, done that. Thinkin' about writing a book about it. The working title is 'There and Back Again: A Vampire's Journey Through Hell. Bit of a mouthful, I know. I was also thinking 'Danny's Inferno', but I thought it might be a little too on the nose -"

"God, will you just shut up?" Stefan groaned, leaning his head back.

"Bit grumpy today, isn't he?" Danny mused, turning his head slightly to look at Lexi. "What do you need me to do?"

"Well, you got Damon to flip his switch back on. How did you do that?"

"It was a long, arduous process that was only possible in a magical, far away beach house," Danny informed her, standing up fully. "I don't think we have quite the time for that, now do we?"

"No, we don't," she agreed.

"What about your magic?" Elena asked, stepping forward.

The three vampires turned to look at her, all of them wearing different expressions. Stefan's was confused, Lexi's thoughtful, and Danny's vaguely amused. _I suppose I could dig into Stefan's mind and look for emotionally charged memories, even if I've never done it before. I've only ever been able to see memories hovering on the surface of someone's mind. Digging could be painful – and have unfortunate side effects. Like possible death._

He informed the girls as much, receiving looks of disappointment in return. Lexi then asked if he could convince Klaus to compel Stefan to turn his humanity back on. Danny informed her that there was nothing he could do or say to bring Klaus to Mystic Falls so long as there was even the smallest chance that Mikael might come around.

"And I don't blame him. Mikael's a humongous dick, even worse than Klaus," Danny paced around the cell, starting to feel a bit claustrophobic in the small area. "There might be a way to break the compulsion with magic – compulsion is just magic when you break it down, after all. Unfortunately, we don't have the kind of power for that."

"You sure about that?" Lexi asked him in a dry tone. "I've seen you make fires, shake the ground, and make things explode with your mind."

"There's also the fact that you healed me last night," Elena input.

"I don't have the control necessary," Danny corrected, stopping in front of Stefan and crossing his arms over his chest. "Not to mention the fact that I've never done something like that before. For all I know, I could end up blowing Stefan up – and maybe us along with him."

"What -" Stefan began.

"You, hush," Danny pointed at him. "The grown-ups are talking."

"Wait. You said you can't go digging in Stefan's mind for memories," Elena stated, receiving a nod in return from the hybrid. "What about letting Stefan into your mind to see yours?"

Danny rubbed his chin in thought as he turned to look at the doppelgänger. _Could work..._ He mused looking down at Stefan. _I'd have to pick and choose what to show him, though. Regardless of what my son may have said, I won't let Stef know about him while his humanity is turned off. There's also the problem of what memories would be the best ones to show him – which emotion to focus on._ He briefly flipped through readily available memories, sorting through the different emotions associated with each one.

 _Wow. The kid was right. Not many happy memories. Only half-decent ones that don't concern him involve the Originals, Gabriel, Cas, a few hunting trips, and my brothers sprinkled throughout._ He eventually decided to use memories that were charged with emotions he was intimately familiar with: anger, pain, and hatred.

 _Should probably see a shrink about that._ He mused, putting the tips of his fingers on the sides of Stefan's temples. He opened his left eye, surprised when he didn't see a glow reflected in his brother's eyes. _Maybe it only glows around angels?_ He considered briefly before turning the thought away and focusing on the task at hand.

He stared deep into his brother's eyes, digging deeper and deeper into his mind as he did so. He eventually found himself in the gymnasium of what he assumed was Mystic Falls High. Danny raised an eyebrow at this before glancing around, sniffing the air in the hopes of finding his brother quickly and getting this over with. He was greeted with nothing, only silence to accompany him. The hybrid rolled his eyes, already growing tired of the idea that he'd actually have to search for his brother. _There might be a better way. If I can bring my memories here, to Stefan's mind, maybe I could also bring..._

He let loose a high, sharp whistle. Everything was still for a moment before a black shape burst through the gymnasium doors, loping towards Danny gracefully with his head held up regally. Danny grinned, kneeling onto the ground as the wolf approached him, surveying him carefully before dipping his head to the hybrid and allowing his head to be stroked.

"White Fang," Danny grinned as the wolf lifted his head up, ice-blue eyes meeting ice-blue eyes. "I need you to find my brother. Can you do that for me, old friend?"

The wolf – White Fang – gave a low bark in response before turning his head around and sniffing the air. He then put his nose to the ground, sniffing furiously as he paced around the gymnasium. After a moment, he stopped, ears flicking upward as a he gave a small howl before taking off, Danny hot on his heels. They dashed down the halls, turning corners and cutting through rooms Danny was sure weren't even in the actual school.

At one point, Danny lost sight of his companion. He frowned, glancing around before he heard a noise not far off. It was the sound of snarling, followed by a scream of pain, and a body hitting metal. Danny vamped toward the noise, spotting Stefan sitting on the floor against a set of lockers. White Fang's forepaws were on the vampire's chest, his jaws wrapped firmly around his arm.

"Good boy," Danny praised the wolf, receiving a tail wag in response. "Now, go home."

White Fang gave a small, defiant glare and a low growl, curling his lips upward to show his pointed fangs, which sank deeper into Stefan's arm. The black wolf's tail raised in challenging manner, silently informing Danny that he would have to fight him if he wanted his prey.

 _Of all the days to battle for alpha, why pick today?_ He wondered idly. Along with that thought came the question of why he had created the wolf to be like the ones in real-life, instead of subservient and obedient to his every will. _Because I would hate to be created for the sole purpose of listening to and obeying another person._ He answered himself.

He shook his head before baring his own teeth, growling as his fangs elongated and his eyes glowed brightly – this time both their usual icy-blue color. The two stared at each other for a few minutes, neither of them willing to back down. After a moment, White Fang lowered his gaze before reluctantly releasing his hold on Stefan's arm. He folded his ears back, tail tucking between his legs in a gesture of submission. Danny nodded, stepping forward and placing a hand on the wolf's throat, reminding him that he was the alpha. White Fang gulped beneath his hand before Danny removed it, placing it forgivingly on the wolf's head before it disappeared.

Danny turned to his brother, placing a hand on his neck as he tried to get away.

"No more running, little brother," Danny informed him, pushing him against the locker as his right hand touched the side of Stefan's head.

"What - what are you?" Stefan snarled.

"The son of Lucifer," Danny grinned.

He then reached for the memories he chosen, starting with earliest ones involving Giuseppe and deciding to move on from there. He began shoving them into Stefan's mind, receiving screams of pain in response. _This is for your own good, Stefan._ He told himself, hating what he was doing to his brother even as he said this.

* * *

"Elena, Elena," Stefan gasped. "I'm hurting. Please, help me."

Hours had passed since Danny had shoved every anger and pain-filled memory he had at Stefan, and had received little to no response. _Well, not every memory. I excluded my time in Hell._ He reminded himself as he leaned his head back against the wall he was sitting against. _I want his humanity switch on without making him borderline catatonic._ He gave a rueful smile as his thumb fiddled with the daylight ring on his right hand, which was currently resting on his propped-up knee.

"Don't listen. Shut him out," Lexi instructed Elena from where she was standing directly behind Stefan.

"Think of him like a drug addict, jonesing for his next hit," Danny advised the girl pressed against the wall. "Withdrawal is killer, but once he gets through it, it gets a bit easier."

"I am helping you, Stefan," Elena answered the vampire, turning to face him fully.

"I'll do anything. I'll change. I promise," Stefan said desperately.

"I smell bullshit," Danny stated in a sing-song voice.

"It's a lie," Lexi expounded, stepping out around Stefan and closer to Elena. "He'll say anything right now."

"Elena, I'm sorry. Just make it stop," Stefan pleaded. "Please, just make it stop."

"You have to separate yourself from your emotions. Don't let him play on them," Lexi told her, getting between the two.

Stefan then told Elena that he loved her, professing it over and over again. Danny reminded the room that Stefan wasn't capable of love – at least, not at the moment, anyway. Stefan then pulled a 180, saying that he wished he hadn't met Elena, and that she had just been wasting his time. _That's the Ripper talking._ Lexi said as much, stating that once he was weak enough you had to make him feel things. _Been there, done that. All it did was tire him out faster. Which, I suppose, works well in our favor._ He mused, grimacing when Lexi stabbed Stefan with a stake in his left shoulder.

"Think of it as a regimen," Lexi told Elena, pulling the stake out and stepping back. "Day in and day out. Like running the treadmill. Like making coffee-"

"I prefer tea, personally," Danny input.

"Until he's ready to be saved," Lexi finished, ignoring the oldest Salvatore as she dove forward to stab the stake into Stefan's other shoulder.

"I will rip you apart, Lexi!" Stefan snarled.

"You can't, I'm already dead," Lexi replied in a cheery tone, stabbing him in the shoulder.

He screamed, prompting Elena to gasp. She said that she couldn't do this before running out of the room. The two older vampires stared at each other, silently debating whether or not they should go after her. Eventually, it was decided that she had to come back on her own, that forcing her to essentially torture Stefan wouldn't do any good. They then lapsed into a thoughtful silence, marred only by Stefan's gaspings and struggles to break free.

 _Nothing to do but sit here and wait for her to get back._ Danny grumbled silently to himself before his gaze slid over to Lexi, a thought striking him suddenly. He gave a wide smile before pulling out his phone – chuckling at the picture on the lock screen of Cas asleep on him- and scrolling through the songs on it. After a moment, he settled on one, turning up the volume and setting it on the floor beside him.

As music began to play, he rose to his feet, walking over to Lexi and holding out his right hand to her, smiling at her bewildered expression as he said, "I never got that dance."

She looked confused for a moment before her expression cleared and she smiled, putting her left hand in his right. He brought it to his lips, kissing it briefly before placing his other hand on her waist while she rested hers on his shoulder. They began to sway in time with the instruments before the singing began.

" _Oceans apart, day after day,_ " Danny sang along with them, eliciting an even wider smile from the blonde. " _And I slowly grow insane_."

He crossed his eyes, sticking out his tongue slightly and grinning widely when Lexi laughed in response, lightly slapping his shoulder.

"I know it's not Bon Jovi, but I figured this song says what I've never been able to," he told her in a soft tone. "It... it's alright isn't it?"

"It's perfect," she replied before tilting her head to the side in curiosity. "If this song wasn't around, what would you say?"

"Please, for the love of God, just kill me now," Stefan groaned.

"Hush, you're ruining a beautiful moment, Stefan," Danny replied, giving a small glare to his youngest brother before turning back to Lexi, considering her question seriously.

After a moment, he finally replied with, "Part of me always cared for you – and not just because you were the first person I was...intimate with. You found me when I was down, you saved my life, you became my first real friend. The years we were apart, I thought about you... I wanted to be with you...but I knew that Stefan needed you more.

"Years passed, many things happened – Hell, for one – and you faded to the back of my thoughts. But, after I escaped Hell, I thought about you. I knew if anyone could flip my switch back on, it would be you. I didn't want you to. I didn't want to feel all the pain and anger locked inside me – I didn't want you to see that dark, ugly side of me. I stopped thinking about you, until you got a message to me about Damon.

"You filled up my thoughts again. But I could not dwell on them, I had to save Damon from himself. Many years later, I called you to cheer up Stefan, and you came. We were reunited, but even then, I would not allow myself to feel the thing that scared me more than anything. Then, you died. I realized I had lost my chance to tell you what you meant to me. I realized that, even though I didn't admit it to you or myself, I still felt something for you. Something I hadn't felt in a very long time."

He stared into her dark hazel eyes, swallowing thickly as he gathered up his courage and said, "I love you, Alexia Branson, and I should have told you that when you were alive. Well, alive-ish. You were a vampire and technically dead –mmph!"

He was cut off from his rambling as her lips pressed against his, effectively cutting off all thought. He savored the way her lips felt against his, knowing he may never get this chance again. He pulled her closer, his left hand moving up to gently stroke the side of her face with his thumb as hers moved up to tangle itself in his messy mop of hair.

They stayed like this for a good while, ignoring Stefan's gagging noises. _Oh, little brother, you have much to learn_. He snickered before he and Lexi parted, holding each other's faces.

"You know, this can't last, Danny," Lexi informed him with a sad smile. "I'm dead. You have to let me go."

"I know that," Danny replied with a sigh, resting his forehead against hers. "Now that I've said what I needed to – and I've finally gotten the dance I've wanted – I can finally do that. I can be at peace with the memories we've shared and the happiness you brought me." He grimaced slightly. "I'm not entirely okay with you being the last person I'll ever love, but I've accepted it."

"That's not true, you know," Lexi told him. "There is someone else for you, you just don't see it."

"You're probably right," Danny replied with a mild shrug. "Who is it?"

"That would be telling, and I don't do spoilers," she laughed at the pout on his face. "Fine, I'll give you a hint. You've been spending a lot of time with them lately."

Danny's eyebrows knitted together in confusion before the thought struck him and his expression cleared. His face heated up as he turned red, turning his head to the side slightly and coughing lightly in embarrassment. Lexi chuckled before patting his cheek and pulling away, turning back to Stefan and growing serious. _Guess it's business as usual then._ The hybrid chuckled, walking over to his phone and turning off the music.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, etc. are welcome. Requests for updates are not. (Seriously, gives me really bad anxiety when I see them.)**

 **Also, updates may be a bit slow for a bit. There's a number of chapters I like to have pre-written before I post a new one, and I have yet to meet that number. This is due to a number of things in my life - stress, writer's block, illness, etc. I hope that you guys will be patient if I am unable to post a new chapter next week, and thank you for reading!**

 **Review Response:**

 **msblovesdefan:** Thank you for the chapter. No worries, I can be patient for your story. One thing, when Bonnie screwed up with whole ghost thing, ghosts only present on the other side were able to mess with others. Giuseppe was not a supernatural and ergo, he was not supposed to be on the other side, how did he came as a ghost?

 **A:** I thought I had mentioned this before, but perhaps not? Anyway, before Danny left Mystic Falls again in 1864, he turned Giuseppe into a vampire - the very thing he hated most in the world. He then proceeded to make Giuseppe's undead life as miserable as possible - torture, forced feeding, etc. After about 25 years of this, he killed Giuseppe. So, in this story, Giuseppe was once a vampire.


	34. Chapter 34: The Bacon Thief

**Chapter 34: The Bacon Thief**

 _September 13, 2010_

Danny lay in his bed that morning, hands folded behind his head, silently staring at the ceiling as Metallica blared through his headphones. _174_. He hummed to himself. _1,374 if I count my time in Hell. Plus, there's also the 800 or so years of memories I have from Lukas – but I'll just count those as being part of the 1,374 years._ He decided, looking over at his alarm clock just as it turned 8 o'clock.

 _No plans to go after Lucifer. No hell hounds chasing after me. No friends dying – at least, not so far, anyway. It's already started out as a better day than last year._ He heaved a long sigh, a somewhat somber smile encroaching on his face. _Maybe I could just stay in bed all day. That would be nice._

He turned his head to the left, eyeing the desk wedged between two of his four bookcases. It had a single laptop on it and was surrounded by bits and pieces of paper and a slowly accumulating pile of books. _I could also continue trying to find a way to free Sam... Or find another way to kill Raphael._ He brought his left hand out from behind his head, staring at the triangle shaped scar on his palm before gently brushing his fingertips over the scar going down his left eye.

 _I'm going to filet that bastard the next time I seem him_. Danny growled quietly to himself, clenching his fist and imagining that it was Raphael's heart. Of course, crushing the heart of the archangel's vessel wouldn't kill him, but it was a nice thing to think about. _If I had one of those archangel blades, I could – wait._ He sat up abruptly. _Archangel blades... Gabriel showed one to me before. If I could just find where he stashed it..._ His thoughts shuddered to a stop as he let out a frustrated groan. _I'm not an archangel. It wouldn't work for me._

"Alternatively, we could just lock Raph in the Cage with his brothers and be done with it," Danny mused aloud, resuming staring up at the ceiling. "Wouldn't be nearly as satisfying, but it would solve the immediate problem."

He then lapsed into a thoughtful silence, imagining all the different ways he could either get Raphael into the Cage or kill him. Preferably the latter of the two, but he wasn't too picky when it came to the lives of his friends. _I wonder how the Winchesters are doing. Haven't talked to them in a while, and the twins' birthday is coming up in a week. I should call them._ He decided.

He reached over to his nightstand, frowning when his hand only came in contact with his clock and the lamp. He turned his head, sitting up in mild alarm upon discovering that his phone was not there. He checked behind the nightstand, wondering if it had fallen behind there. When he learned that it had not, he rose from his bed and walked hurriedly towards his door. He exited it, turning and locking it behind him before vamping down the stairs to the living room. He picked up pillows and cushions, wondering if it had fallen in the couch the previous night.

He heard movement coming from the direction of the kitchen, and rushed over to see Damon moving around.

"Hey, Damon, have you seen my -" he stopped abruptly, frowning at his brother. "What are you doing?"

Damon looked up, holding a spatula in his hand as he briefly glanced at the oldest Salvatore before looking back down at the stove, saying, "Making pancakes."

"'Making pancakes?'" Danny repeated in a tone of disbelief. "And you haven't burned the house down yet?"

"When have I ever done that?" Damon asked, an audible smirk in his voice.

"Uh, does May of 1978 ring a bell, Damon?" Danny replied, leaning against the entryway to the kitchen as his brother paused. "You burned down my house in Fitchburg."

"In all honesty, that was sort of on purpose," Damon pointed at him with his spatula. "Besides, that place sucked. Smelled like a drug den."

"To be fair, it was, in fact a sort of drug den at one point," Danny informed him, stepping further into the kitchen and beginning to search the cabinets for his tea kettle. "One of many, actually. At least, until Gabriel came along."

"You were a druggy?" Damon questioned, turning to look at his brother as he filled his kettle up with water.

"Pancakes," Danny reminded him, pushing Damon's head down in the direction of the stove. "And yes, I was. Pot, meth, heroin – you name it, I did it. Scoot over."

"Huh, never knew that," Damon commented, moving over a bit so Danny could put his kettle on the stove top next to his.

"Not a lot of people do, Damon," Danny told him, leaning against the counter next to the stove as he waited for the water to boil. "In fact, you're the only one – besides Cas and the Winchesters – who knows about it."

"Well, now don't I feel special," Damon smirked, flipping a pancake.

Danny smirked as well before reaching over and ruffling Damon's hair, prompting his brother to try and get away from him, smacking him with the dish towel flung over his shoulder. Danny ducked away from the hits, laughing alongside Damon as he went over to one of the cabinets and pulled out plates and cups for the two of them. He got a weird look from Damon at this, almost as though his brother was trying to fight a smile or say something. _What is he hiding?_ Danny pondered, narrowing his eyes.

He opened his mouth to ask when he was interrupted by a knock at the door. The two looked at each other before Damon gestured that he was still cooking. With a roll of his eyes, Danny put the plates and cups he was carrying on the table before exiting the kitchen. _Maybe it's Rebekah? I doubt Damon gave her a key._ Danny mused with a small smile.

He had heard from his younger brother about their newest housemate, though he had yet to see her. Danny knew part of it was his fault. He had been busy with Cas the morning Rebekah had moved in, and the rest of his time in Mystic Falls – discounting his run-in with Giuseppe and Lexi – had been spent in his locked room recuperating from the fight with Raphael. But he also conceded that part of it was Rebekah's fault. She wasn't home most of the time to be seen. Probably off doing whatever it is Klaus wants. _Or, perhaps, she's finding some dumb ass to fall hopelessly in love with. Again._ Danny chuckled to himself before opening the front door.

Immediately, he felt his shins being tackled. Taken by surprise, the hybrid fell on his back with a groan. He was about to sit up when a body jumped on his chest, briefly knocking the wind out of him.

"Appy Birfday, Unca Danno!" cheered the person his chest.

Danny blinked up at the figure, taken aback before he smiled, realizing it was Nikolas Winchester. _Which can only mean..._ He flicked his gaze upward, grinning broadly when he saw Dean, Kate, and little Arrow, who was hiding behind the two, still clutching his stuffed moose. _Poor kid. He's still so shy and quiet._ He turned to Nik, reaching his hands up and tickling the little boy, who shrieked with laughter as he fell off Danny. _Unlike this little guy._

Danny rose to his feet, chuckling when Nik attached himself to the hybrid's right leg. He opened his arms, receiving a hug from Kate and then from Dean. When Dean separated from him, he gave Kate a look and she nodded before prying Nik off Danny's leg, grabbing Arrow's hand, and walking in the direction of the kitchen.

"What're you guys doing here?" Danny questioned, closing the door as Dean stepped fully in the house.

"Your brother called us. Said with the year you've had, you deserve one good day, at least," Dean shrugged, striding into the living room and looking around. "I had something I needed to talk to you about anyway, so I figured we'd come along."

"Guess that explains what happened to my phone. Damon stole it," Danny remarked in a dry tone, yet unable to keep the smile from his face as he followed Dean. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Did you know?"

"Know what?"

Dean stared at him, seeming to debate whether or not Danny was lying before he said, "Sam's back."

"Wait, what? Really?" Danny asked incredulously.

"Yeah, he's been back since like a week after he went in the Cage," Dean informed him, rifling through the vampires' stash of bourbon.

"And he just now decides to show up?" Danny frowned.

"Yeah," Dean replied, pouring himself a drink. "And, apparently, he's not the only one who was brought back. Samuel Campbell – our grandfather – was brought back as well."

"No shit, really?"

"Yep."

"Wow. And I thought I had it rough when Giuseppe came back," Danny whistled as he poured himself a glass of bourbon as well. "At least he didn't stick around. Like the Sams. Which, I guess your brother's cool. Campbell, on the other hand... yeesh."

"What do you know about the Campbells?" Dean asked, leaning against the table.

"Not much, I'm afraid," Danny shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. "They were high up on the hunter food chain for a long time. When your grandfather – the head hunter – died, they kinda fell into obscurity. Though, I did hear that the bastards were ruthless, take no prisoner types."

"Well, that's...nice? I guess?" Dean frowned, swallowing a large portion of his drink.

"Is what it is," Danny shrugged once more before finishing off his drink. "C'mon, let's go. I can smell bacon -"

Dean finished his drink and ran from the room at this, leaving Danny standing there, chuckling at the predictability of Winchesters. He followed more slowly, grinning at the entryway to the kitchen when he saw Kate and Damon setting plates of bacon, pancakes, eggs, and sausage on the table. Dean was pulling out plates and cups from the cabinets while Arrow was pulling out silverware and trying to reach up to place them on the table.

Dean set the plates down on the table before picking his son up, placing Arrow on the bench, and idly smacking Nik's hand as it reached up from under the table to try and steal a piece of bacon. Dean then looked around furtively, making sure Kate wasn't looking as he took a piece of bacon for himself before grabbing another one and handing it to Nik under the table. Dean shoved the bacon in his mouth, pausing in his chewing when he saw Danny standing in the entryway, looking amused. He pressed a finger to his lips, prompting the hybrid to give a small chuckle.

Danny then walked over to the fridge, taking out milk, orange juice, blueberries, and everything else you needed for a breakfast feast. After placing everything on the table, everyone took their seats – though Kate had to run out to the car to grab booster seats for the twins. Danny sat next to Damon, and across from them sat Dean, Kate, Nik, and Arrow, in that order.

"So," Damon said after a moment. "How did you people even meet?"

"Well, I knew Dean's father, John first," Danny replied, taking a bite of his pancakes. "Then it all just sort of snowballed from there."

"How did that happen?" Dean inquired. "No offense, but I don't exactly see my dad getting all buddy-buddy with a vampire."

"John didn't know I was a blood-sucking monster when we first met. When he found out... well, he owed me at that point, so there wasn't much he could do."

"But how did you two meet exactly?" Kate asked, grabbing Nik's hand as he tried to steal Arrow's bacon. "You never said."

"Well, it all started in the summer of 1984. I was on a nighttime wendigo hunt in the Monongahela National Forest..."

 _Danny rifled through his backpack, silently counting how much flare gun ammo he had._ _ **Enough for three shots. Guess I'll have to make it count.**_ _He shrugged, putting the gun and ammo in the pocket of his jacket. He then took out a pistol, loading it and then affixing it to the holster on his right hip._ _ **I should invest in a flamethrower... Eh, I'll bug Gabriel for one for my birthday.**_

 _He zipped up his bag before putting it on his back, buckling the strap over his right shoulder. He narrowed his eyes in the darkness, breathing slowly as he listened carefully for any sounds of movement that would tell him where his prey was. He heard rapid footsteps, the snapping of twigs, the rustle of leaves, and – this part concerned him a bit – heavy breathing._ _ **Wendigos don't breathe like that.**_

 _He took off in the direction of the noise, running as fast as his legs could carry him without having to resort to using his vampire abilities. As he ran, he heard the sound of someone skidding, a loud thump, and a short yell. This was quickly followed up by gunshots._ _ **Dammit, Gabriel.**_ _Danny cursed the archangel, glancing at the ring on his right ring finger._

 _He hurtled himself forward, pushing his body to the limits as he took out his flare gun and loaded it. Before long, he finally arrived at his destination. He saw the grotesque, disfigured form of the wendigo standing over a tall, dark-haired man. The wendigo turned at his approach, and Danny quickly raised his flare gun, firing it before the wendigo could realize what was happening. The thing shrieked as the flare hit it, causing it to promptly burst into flames._

 _His prey dead, Danny rushed over to the man, reaching out a hand to help him up as he asked, "You okay, mate?"_

 _"Fine, thanks," the man replied, taking Danny's hand and letting himself get pulled up. "Who are you?"_

 _"Daniel Salvatore, hunter extraordinaire, at your service," Danny tipped his nonexistent hat. "Friends call me Danny. Or, they would if I had any. Should probably fix that...hmm...anyway, what're you doing out here?"_

 _"Hunting," the man replied shortly, looking down at the wendigo ashes. "Same as you, I guess. What the hell was that anyway?"_

 _"My specialty: a wendigo," Danny grinned, twirling his gun before returning it to his pocket. He then took a moment to look over the man, scrutinizing him carefully. "You're new at this, aren't you?"_

 _"Is it that easy to tell?" The man asked, receiving a nod in response. "You're right, I've only been at this a couple months."_

 _"I would ask what got you into hunting, but I'm going to assume that something tragic happened to you – most likely the death of a loved one at the hands of some supernatural creature – and now you've sworn revenge against whatever that thing is," Danny hummed, tapping his chin._

 _"How did you-?"_

 _"It's the same story with every hunter I've come across," Danny shrugged in response._

 _"So you've been at this a while then?"_

 _"Nine years and some change," Danny confirmed._

 _"If you don't mind my asking, who did you lose?" the man questioned._

 _"No one," Danny replied, leaning against a tree. "I was in a bad place and some jackass decided to drag me into hunting to get me out of my funk. It worked, admittedly, but I won't tell him that."_

 _The man was silent for a moment, seeming to have an argument with himself as he looked between Danny and the pile of ash. Danny clasped his hands in front of him, waiting patiently for the question he knew was about to come up: what creature was the man hunting and how could he kill it._

 _"I never introduced myself, I'm John, John Winchester," the man finally said, turning to look at Danny fully. "A few months ago, some...thing went into my six month old son's room and killed my wife, burning her on the ceiling. Do you know what did it?"_

 _Danny frowned, alarm bells ringing in his head at this._ _ **Cases like that have been popping up a lot lately. A house fire on the night that a kid turns six months. Its gotta be one of the Princes of Hell – like Gabriel said.**_

 _"I do, John. But I won't tell you," Danny held a hand up to stop the man's protests. "The thing you're hunting, there's nothing that can kill it. Even if there was, the creature is way out of your league. Come back and ask me that question when you've got a few more years of hunting under your belt..."_

"...John and I argued for a bit before he reluctantly agreed with me. He managed to persuade me to mentor him. Little did I know, he was also getting some advice from Daniel Elkins," Danny said bitterly, stabbing his eggs with his fork.

"The vampire hunter?" Dean asked in a tone of surprise, receiving a nod in response. "What was your beef with him?"

"Well, gee, Dean, he was a vampire hunter – I was a vampire so... we got into a disagreement over the proper placement and use of garden gnomes," Danny replied sarcastically, grinning when Dean flipped him the bird. "I'd had a few run-ins with Elkins in the past. Last time, he almost killed me. I'm the reason John and Elkins has a falling out. John Winchester saved my life."

"I didn't know John long, but that doesn't sound like him," Kate frowned. "Debt or not, John wouldn't save a monster's life."

"True enough, but he also didn't have much choice," Danny shrugged. "I knew what he was hunting and he didn't. He needed me more than he needed Elkins."

"So... you blackmailed him?" Damon confirmed, raising an eyebrow.

"We, in the business, prefer the term 'leverage'," Danny replied in a mild tone before pointing his fork at Dean. "Despite what he might have been like later on in life, John was a good man. He was honorable, and he fought for what he thought was right. I was proud to have known him, and I can say with complete certainty that he would've been proud of you Dean. Whether or not he would have admitted it is another matter entirely."

Dean stared at him for a moment, digesting his words before looking back down at his plate. He stabbed a sausage with his fork before shoving the whole thing in his mouth, prompting Kate to make a dirty comment thus breaking up the tension that had settled over the room after Danny's words. _I'm glad I didn't stay in bed._ Danny grinned, laughing when Nik – who had crawled under the table again – had reached up and tried to steal Damon's bacon.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, etc. are welcome. Requests for updates are not. (Seriously, gives me really bad anxiety when I see them.)**


	35. Chapter 35: Story Time With Friends

**Chapter 35: Story Time With Friends**

 _September 13, 2010_

"...So, Kate bursts through the door, shotgun fully loaded and pointed right at Samuel's head," Dean was saying, trying to smother his laughter. "She looks him dead in the eye and says 'you have fifteen seconds to explain why you brought Dean here before I blow your head all over the wall you walking phallus.'"

"She did not!" Danny gasped, mouth open in a wide grin as he turned to look at Kate.

"It was the first thing that popped into my head," she shrugged in response, taking an embarrassed sip of her drink.

Danny let loose a howl of laughter, and was closely followed up by Damon and Dean. Nik gave an irritated grunt at the laughter before burying his head in his father's jacket whilst Arrow did the same with Kate. After breakfast, the group had moved to the den/living area where they had made themselves drinks before settling themselves on the couches. Dean and Kate sat on one couch, the male's left arm around her shoulders as she sat snuggled close beside him. Damon and Danny had settled themselves across from the couple where Danny, trying to mimic Dean, had tried to put his arm around Damon only to be playfully shoved away by his younger brother.

The group had watched Nik run around and try to playfully steal Arrow's moose before they both got tired and crawled up on the couch, nestling themselves on their parents' laps. It was then that Danny persuaded the couple to tell the story about their meeting with Samuel Campbell. Danny had been intrigued about the whole ordeal, but had lost it when Kate made her grand entrance.

"What did you do when you noticed Sammy?" Danny inquired once his laughter finally subsided.

Kate squirmed in her seat, letting Dean answer with, "Well, Sam tried to intervene until Kate threatened to shave off all of his hair. He stayed quiet after that."

"To be fair, for all I knew it was some sort of weird-ass shifter posing as Sam," Kate pointed out. "Best way to tell for sure was to see how protective he was of his hair."

"I take it you were satisfied?" Danny surmised, amusement in his tone.

"For the time being," Kate replied, her lips flattening into a thin line. "There's something...off about the whole thing."

"About the situation or about Sam?" Danny questioned, taking a sip of his drink.

"Both," Kate replied bluntly. "There's something weird about how they were both brought back. If it was just Sam, I wouldn't have thought about it too much – these two come back to life more often than I can count. But with Campbell coming back too..."

"Hmm, I see your point," Danny hummed in response, swilling his drink around thoughtfully. "I don't like that Sam's been spending so much time with Campbell. Might need to rectify that."

"Is the guy really that bad?" Damon frowned, finally entering the conversation.

"I'd heard horror stories about him before – rumors about how he'd do anything to get his monster," Danny informed him, noting the look Dean and Kate exchanged.

"Don't all hunters do that?"

"No. There's two types of hunters out there," Kate began, glancing up at Dean.

"The first kind is what we are – or were, I guess. We hunt monsters, but there are some good ones out there that we've let go. Plus, we try to keep people safe – and not use them as bait," Dean continued, taking a gulp of his own drink.

"Except under extenuating circumstances where we have no choice," Kate added, receiving a nod from Dean.

"What's the second type? Serial killers?" Damon smirked over his glass.

"Yes, actually," Danny nodded, receiving a look of surprise from his brother. "Or, well, at least essentially they are. The second type of hunter kills anything they come across, no matter who they are. They'll sacrifice innocent people to get the job done. An old...acquaintance of ours, Gordon, fell into that category."

"What happened to him?" Damon asked curiously.

The three hunters started snickering before Danny sobered up enough to say, "First thing you gotta know is that Gordon's hunting specialty was vampires. Now, a few years back, Gordon started hunting Sam, saying he was the Antichrist. One thing led to another and he got turned into a vampire – not our people, the other ones – and Sam killed him. Wrapped some sort of wire around his neck and beheaded him."

"Irony and karma at their finest," Kate smiled at the memory.

"Good riddance to that dick," Dean reached out his glass alongside Kate, clinking it against Danny's in a cheers motion.

Damon stared at them all for a moment before taking a long sip of his drink. He then lowered it slightly to say, "You're all so weird."

The three hunters merely grinned at each other in response. The topic was then switched to what had been going on in Mystic Falls, which then lead to stories explaining different aspects of what was occurring – the Originals, Lexi, etc. From there, they had shifted to telling stories about various hunts and interesting people they had come across. It was when Dean was telling the story about the Winter solstice gods – the Carrigans – they had snuffed the Christmas before Dean had gone to Hell that Damon recalled something.

"Hey, didn't you say Poseidon taught you how to surf?"

Dean and Kate stared at Danny, their expressions openly curious as he shrugged and said, "Yeah, didn't think you'd remember that."

The three stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. When he did not, Dean said, "Well?"

"Ah, you don't want to hear it," Danny gave a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Yes, yes we do," Kate replied. She noticed that Danny was about to decline again, so she continued with, "Hey, you've heard all our stories. You need to cough one up too. It's only fair."

The two Nephilim stared at each other for a long time before the blue-eyed one huffed, rolling his eyes as he said, "Fine. Our story begins on the beaches of Assateague Island. It was the summer of 1977; my humanity was still off and I had just run away from Gabriel for about the tenth time that year..."

 _Danny swung his right arm around lazily, his left hand tightly gripping a bottle of rum as he walked barefoot along the sandy beach in his tan cargo pants and open white flannel. He brought the bottle to his lips, taking in a long drink and bringing it back down with a sigh of contentment. He took a moment to appreciate the quiet atmosphere. The cool breeze ruffling his messy hair, the waves lapping gently at the shore._ _ **Not a Gabriel in sight.**_ _He smiled to himself without any real emotion_.

 _He turned his head to the side, admiring the sun as it began to set, illuminating the fish swimming below the surface of the water, seashells decorating the shore, a body laying unmoving on the beach –_ _ **Wait. What?**_ _He frowned, tilting his head to the side as he wandered over, his curiosity getting the best of him._

 _He approached the body, noticing that it was a man dressed in similar attire to Danny. He appeared young, dark brown hair sweeping gently over his tan forehead. A light smattering of stubble covered his otherwise smooth and unmarked face. If Danny cared enough, he might've called the man mildly attractive. As it was, the vampire simply nudged the man, receiving a grunt as the man's eyes opened, revealing eyes as blue as the ocean._

 _"Dude," the man groaned. "I was sleeping."_

 _"Halfway in the water where you could possibly drown?" Danny snorted in disbelief. "What're you, stoned?"_

 _"Generally, yes."_

 _"Wait, really?" Danny raised his eyebrows, receiving a small hum in response. "Shit, man, gimme some."_

 _"Sorry, bro, all out," the man shrugged, sitting up and looking at Danny fully. "Sucks too, you look like you could really use it."_

 _"Dude, you have no idea," Danny replied in a dry tone, sitting next to the man. He was quiet for a moment before silently handing the bottle to the man. "Name's Danny."_

 _"Call me Storm," the man replied, taking the bottle and taking a drink from it before handing it back._

 _"That's not your real name, is it?" Danny stated more than asked, taking the bottle back._

 _"Nah, man. It's a lot more chill than my real name," Storm shrugged, staring at the water. "Lot less pretentious and famous as well."_

 _"I hear ya, buddy," Danny remarked, taking a long drink from the bottle. "What brings you around here anyway, Storm?"_

 _"Seemed like a quiet place to get away," Storm answered, looking at Danny calculatingly. "I'm guessing that's why you're here too."_

 _"Yeah," Danny replied, seeming to hesitate for a moment before continuing on. "I have this...acquaintance that I met a couple years ago. He sorta dragged me into this...business, I guess you could say – saving people, hunting things. I feel like he's trying to change me – make me into something I don't want to be. That's why I'm here, to get away from him."_

 _"Uh-huh," Storm nodded thoughtfully. "Ever think that maybe he's trying to change you into something you were meant to be? That maybe the idea of becoming something more – something better – scares you so much that it makes you want to run?"_

D _anny stared at him for a moment, his face carefully blank before he looked down at the bottle in his hand. Much as he hated to admit it, deep down inside, he knew the man was probably right. The thought brought a scowl to the vampire's face as he brought the bottle to his lips, drinking the last of the fiery sweet liquid. He debated throwing the bottle into the ocean, but had a funny feeling Storm wouldn't approve. He didn't know why, but Danny didn't think it would be a very good idea to get on the man's bad side._

 _"Hey, man," Storm nudged him, regaining his attention. "Sorry for killing your buzz. How about I make it up to you with a little surf sesh? Moon comin' out, waves are gonna be killer, bro."_

 _"Thanks for the offer, but I don't know how to surf."_

 _"No problem, man. I can teach you."_

 _"We don't even have surf...boards," Danny trailed off as Storm revealed two boards beside him._

 _"No more excuses, dude," Storm told him, handing a board off to him._

"...Storm spent a few hours teaching me some stances and how to keep my balance on the board," Danny continued, nearing the end of his story. "We caught a few waves and talked a bit more before Gabriel showed up and Storm disappeared. It was only after that that Gabriel told me Storm was really Poseidon. Few years later, I built my house there. The end."

The other three adults stared at him before Damon asked, "Why did he look so young?"

"He's a Greek god, I'm guessing he can change how old he looks," Danny replied with a shrug. "Plus, y'know, god of the sea and stuff so he probably could've found the fountain of youth."

"Who was he hiding out from?" Kate pondered.

"Zeus. Apparently, his brother's an enormous bag of dicks. Hashtag, relatable," Danny grinned, receiving a playful punch to the shoulder from Damon.

"What about Zeus? You ever meet him or the other guy?" Dean inquired.

"Hades? I almost met him on a hunt, but Gabriel pulled me off at the last minute. Couldn't figure out why at the time, but it makes sense now," Danny responded, rolling his eyes when he received confused looks. "Don't think that Hades would've been very kind to someone who was essentially the son of Lucifer. Territories are a bit of a sore subject with Greek gods, especially Hades."

"Not surprising, considering Hell was taken over by Lucifer and then demons," Kate nodded. "I imagine that, even if he has to share it with angels, Zeus probably still has control of the skies –or at least Olympus - while Poseidon has the sea and oceans. Hades got left with nothing."

"That's right, I forgot your pops used to run Hell," Damon pointed at Danny. "Guess that gives you a legitimate claim to the throne."

"Guess so," Danny scratched the back of his head. "Not something I'll ever claim, though. The demons can have it, for all I care."

An awkward silence followed this statement, wherein the adults continued to drink their various glasses of alcohol and the two small boys continued to sleep soundly on their parents' laps. Danny smiled at the two, his mind drifting off to dreams of his own son one day doing the same thing to him. A thought struck him then, and he looked up at Dean and Kate with a small frown on his face. The two made similar, confused faces at him while Kate gently stroked Arrow's hair with her free hand.

"How did you do it?" Danny finally asked, eyes focused back on the twins. "How did you manage to juggle hunting and raising your kids?"

"It was tough, especially at first," Kate replied, smiling down lovingly at her boys. "I had to give up hunting – and you both know how important that was to me – for a while. But once you find a good support system – lots of friends willing and able to help you out – it becomes a lot easier."

"But didn't you ever miss them while you were out hunting?" Danny pressed, leaning forward slightly.

"All the time," Dean responded this time. "But we knew that we couldn't drag them all over the country with us and hunt at the same time."

"And it wasn't exactly like we could give up hunting at the time," Kate added, resting her head on Dean's shoulder. "We had an apocalypse looming on the horizon and needed every available person on hand." She held up a hand to forestall Danny's next question. "Yes, I know I continued hunting even after the apocalypse was averted, and yes, I missed all three of my boys terribly. But I couldn't just sit back and clean the house while other people – mothers, fathers, sons, daughters – were being killed by monsters. When my kids get older, I want them to know that their mother did everything she could to make the world just a little bit safer for them. I continue hunting so that one day, they won't have to."

 _Probably helps that the only thing you think you're good at is hunting._ Danny mused, turning his glass in his hands as his eyes flicked from her to the twins. _Couldn't be further from the truth. I've seen you with those boys. I can only hope that I'm half the parent to my son that you are to yours._ He finally nodded, leaning back on the couch as the group settled into a comfortable, if thoughtful silence.

The silence didn't last long however, when the front door was banged open and the voice of a woman started shouting. Danny handed his glass to Damon before vamping over and placing his hand on the woman's mouth so she wouldn't wake the kids. He then vamped them both outside, closing the door behind them and releasing the blonde woman when she slapped him across the face.

"Ow," Danny grumbled, rubbing his jaw. "The violence was expected, but unnecessary, Rebekah."

"Daniel?" the Original replied in a tone of surprise. "I didn't know it was you. If I had, I would've slapped you harder."

"What -?" he began, receiving a second, much harder slap. He rubbed a thumb over his now bloody lip. "I guess Klaus filled you in about me?"

"He did," Rebekah confirmed, folding her arms over her chest. "And while I am ecstatic to see you alive, I am unbelievably upset with you for not telling me who you were sooner."

"To be fair, there wasn't exactly a good time to bring it up – especially considering the fact that I only had my word," Danny smirked in response, leaning against the side of the house and putting his hands in the pockets of his black jeans.

"You had memories -"

"The only thing I could really remember when the memories were restored was when Lukas died and a few other bits that wouldn't have helped my case," Danny cut her off with a shrug, well aware that his brother was most likely hanging onto every word that he spoke.

"But now you suddenly remember everything?" she asked in a tone of skepticism.

"I had a long period of incarceration in the 50s that left me with nothing to do other than to muddle through my long-forgotten memories," Danny responded, folding his arms over his chest in a defensive manner. "I believe you are familiar with the concept." He continued, referring to her time spent daggered in a box.

Rebekah drew her lips into a thin line as her eyes narrowed, scrutinizing the man before her. She was quiet for a long moment before she placed her hands on her hips, saying, "I think I liked you better before you had all your memories back. You were a lot sweeter."

"I was naïve and stupid," Danny corrected her, his gaze sharpening slightly as he stood up straight. "And, if I'm being completely honest with myself, I was a little afraid of you lot – you were Original vampires who were almost a thousand years older than me, after all. It's no wonder I kept my head down and tried not to rock the boat as much as possible."

"But you're not afraid anymore?"

"I've learned that there are far worse things out there than Original vampires," Danny gave a sardonic grin before holding his arm out for her to take. "Now, why don't you come in and meet some of my friends? Mind you, you should probably try to keep your voice down, some of them are sleeping."

"Why should I care?" Rebekah questioned, taking his arm and letting him lead her back to the front door. "They're-"

What they were, Danny never found out. As soon as he opened the door, Rebekah caught sight of the twins sound asleep on their parents' laps and immediately, her expression softened. The hybrid noted that the gazes of the hunters were both wary and their bodies were tense, ready to spring into action if the need should arise. _Damon probably filled them in on Rebekah._ Danny realized, his gaze falling on his brother, who was looking at him with open curiosity.

Danny gave a subtle shake of his head to his brother before turning his eyes back onto the Winchesters, who he noticed were subtly growing more tense as Rebekah was escorted further into the room. For the briefest moment, he saw Kate's eyes flash silver, a clear indication that she was readying herself for a fight in case the Original vampire decided to harm her family. Dean's left hand had slowly drifted from around Kate's shoulders to behind her, resting on her lower back where Danny knew she kept her gun.

In order to avert a full-blown fight – and to prevent any more blood being spilled on his already stained-to-hell floor – the hybrid said, "Rebekah, these are my friends. Dean, Kate, and their twins Nikolas and Arrow." He pointed to them each in turn as introduced them. "Dean, Kate, this is Rebekah. She's my sire's younger sister."

"Pleasure," Kate replied in a tone of forced politeness, looking Rebekah up and down as though deciding whether or not she could take the vampire in a fight.

"Younger sister? So, what, she's like your aunt?" Dean questioned with a slight chuckle, putting his drink down behind him and resting his now free hand on Nik's back in a protective manner.

Danny and Rebekah exchanged a swift glance before Danny shrugged and Rebekah replied, "Did you put that together all by yourself? Daddy must be so proud of you."

Dean's eyes narrowed angrily, and looked as though he was about to rise from his chair when Kate stopped him with a hand on his chest. Danny put a firm grip on Rebekah's arm before dragging her into the kitchen. He released her roughly, causing her to whirl around as her back slammed against the island. She opened her mouth, perhaps to yell at Danny for his poor treatment of her, when she was stopped by the fierce, frosty look she was receiving from him.

The lights in the kitchen flickered a bit before Danny was able to rein in his growing anger, pinching the bridge of his nose as he released a long, slow breath. He turned away from her for a moment, mentally debating what he should and shouldn't tell her. Eventually, he turned back around and settled on the following statement:

"When Dean was four, a demon broke into his six-month-old brother's room, killed his mom, and burned her on the ceiling. After that, their Dad started to hunt the damn thing – killing every monster he came across and teaching his kids to do the same. He was...a bit of an ass. A good man, but an ass – especially to his kids. Very controlling, molded Dean into the perfect soldier – never admitted he was proud of him. A few years ago, they found that demon and he almost killed Dean. Their father sold his soul – his life – to the demon to save Dean's."

Danny paused, putting his hands together in front of his face as he finally said, "I don't expect you to understand – or even to remotely get along with – Dean and his family. I am, however, asking you – almost begging you – not to bring up his family, especially his parents. You should know what it's like to lose your mother at a young age and be stuck with a controlling man for the rest of your life better than anyone, Rebekah."

Rebekah was silent, her expression properly chastised as she quietly said, "I guess I should apologize."

"Thank you," Danny nodded, raising his voice a little louder as the doorbell rang. "While you do that, I'll get the door."

Danny quickly vamped to the front door, stopping with his hand on the handle to look back at everyone in the living room. They were all talking amicably, none of them having moved in the slightest to answer the door. _Bunch of lazy bastards._ The hybrid grumbled affectionately, shaking his head and smiling. He opened the door, blinking in surprise when he saw who it was. He stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

As soon as he did that, the angel grabbed his arm, and the two were teleported to the familiar, dingy warehouse in Wisconsin. Danny blinked, wobbling a bit as Cas reached out a hand to steady him. He grinned widely at the angel when he retained the visage of his vessel, rather than the glowing brightness that was his true form. Much as he appreciated the angel's beauty, the bright light gave him a bit of a headache, so he was glad to see that that trait had disappeared as his eye had healed.

"Cas? I thought I still had more time off?" Danny asked in a bewildered tone.

"You do. I merely came to give you your gift," Castiel replied, walking toward the door to the room that had once housed the demon Danny had exorcised.

"A gift? What for?" Danny queried, his surprise evident as he continued to stare at his friend, following swiftly after him.

"It is your birthday, is it not?" Cas questioned, receiving a slow, confirming nod. "I believe it is customary for friends and family to give gifts to one another to celebrate the day of someone's birth. Since you have stated that I am your friend on more than one occasion, I figured it would be appropriate for me to give you one."

"Cas, you didn't have to -" Danny began as they stopped at the door.

"I wanted to," Cas interrupted him, opening the door. "Happy Birthday, Danny."

Danny's mouth fell open in awe and shock at what stood in the room. Sitting in the middle of the dusty, dingy, poorly lit room was his motorcycle. It was in pristine condition, as shiny as the day he had bought it. The electric blue highlights stood out brightly against the black paint of the motorcycle and the darkness of the rest of the room.

Slowly, the hybrid walked over to the bike, caressing it slowly before setting himself upon it. He looked down, seeing that the keys were in the ignition and grinning widely as he turned on his beloved motorcycle. Once the engine had turned on, he revved it a couple times, suppressing a laugh when he noticed Cas had jumped a bit at the noise. He then shut it off, twirling the keys before putting them in his pocket.

He got to his feet, walking over to Cas and asking, "Where did you find it?"

"At the Elysian Fields hotel. It was dirty from sitting out so long, but still in good -"

Cas was cut off abruptly when Danny embraced him in tight hug. Awkwardly, the angel hugged him back, unaccustomed to such affection – especially from his hybrid friend. Danny repeatedly thanked him for the gift, all the while mentally cursing Lexi for her perceptiveness. _Bloody ghosts – always have to know everything._ He grinned to himself.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, etc. are welcome. Requests for updates are not. (Seriously, gives me really bad anxiety when I see them.)**

 **Review Response:**

 **Guest:** Well done! This fanfic is one of my favorites. Love the plot and the way you portray the characters!

 **A:** Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the story! ^_^


	36. Chapter 36: Everybody Hates Mikael

**Chapter 36: Everybody Hates Mikael**

 _September 15, 2010_

Danny flattened the paper on the floor, tilting his head to the side and frowning slightly. He then turned the paper around, hoping the instructions etched upon it would make more sense. It, instead, served to confuse him even more. After another minute of staring at the paper blankly, he crumpled it into a ball and tossed it over his shoulder to be forgotten in some corner of his room. He then turned to the pile of differently shaped wooden objects beside him, sighing heavily before pulling over one of the larger pieces and staring at it as though debating something.

"I have no idea where this goes," he finally decided, setting the piece back down and crawling over in the general direction of where he had thrown the ball of paper.

After several seconds of intense searching, he discovered that it had rolled under his bed. He laid flat on his stomach, stretching his arm out as he reached for the ball. It was as he grasped it firmly in his hand that he heard a knock on the door, prompting him to bang his head on the underside of his bed in surprise. With a muttered string of curses, he pulled himself out before getting to his feet and walking to his bedroom door. Opening it revealed Damon, who strolled into the room before staring at the objects on his floor.

"What are you doing?" Damon questioned, picking up one of the planks of wood and turning it around in his hand.

Danny closed and locked the door behind him before answering, "Building a crib/changing table/dresser for the little dude. It's convertible." He expounded at Damon's confused look. "It can eventually turn into a toddler bed and even a full-size bed."

"Uh-huh. I'm sure little Damien will love it," Damon smirked at his joke.

"You're hilarious," Danny rolled his eyes, snatching the plank from his hand. "And his name still isn't Damien. Trust me, I tried. Karen wouldn't have it."

"Well, until you tell me his actual name, I'm gonna keep calling him Damien. Unless...you want to let your favorite brother in on the secret?" Damon informed him, smiling when Danny made the predictable zipper motion over his lips. "Yeah, I thought not."

"Much as I'm enjoying your company, oh brother of mine," Danny replied, tossing the plank back on the pile and crossing his arms over his chest. "May I ask what brings you to my little sanctum of peace, tranquility, and occasional bouts of madness?"

"Well, you see, I know how you've been trying to be more involved in Mystic Falls, so I've come to offer you two options," Damon answered him, walking over to his brother's desk and perusing the papers and books on there. "The first is breaking out Stefan and trying to get his humanity back on."

"And the second is...?" Danny asked when Damon had been silent for too long.

"Helping Ric decode Viking Pictionary. But since it has to do with the Originals, I'm assuming you'd rather help with Stef -"

"You assume correctly. Give me a few minutes to change and I'll meet up with you at that shady bar down the road. You know the one."

* * *

"How the hell did we get here before you?"

"Oh, I figured out how some of the pieces fit together, and I wanted to get that done before coming here," Danny replied, sliding into a chair at the little table his brothers had acquired.

Over an hour had passed since Damon's visit to his older brother's room. In that time, Danny had changed in a cerulean long-sleeved shirt and a black sweater, closely followed by black jeans and a backwards black baseball cap. It was as he had put the finishing touches on his ensemble that some things clicked into place and he had rushed over to his project and started putting together the parts to his "Espresso Colored Vista Elite 4-in-1 Convertible Crib and Changer". He had snorted at the unnecessarily long name as he drilled in one of the screws.

Once he had done that, he had hopped onto his newly reacquired motorcycle and raced over to the dingy bar that he had almost been mugged at over the summer. He grinned as the image of breaking the man's hand popped into his mind for a moment before he turned his focus back on the road. He arrived at the bar in no time at all, easily able to locate his brothers playing quarters with a blonde bartender perched on Damon's lap.

"Pieces? For what?" Stefan asked, narrowing his eyes at his oldest brother.

"Oh, I'm preparing a crib for my unborn child. It's going great," Danny grinned widely, allowing sarcasm to drip from every word he spoke.

"Fine, keep your secrets. We all know how much you love them," Stefan bit back in a challenging tone, not believing a word that he was saying.

"I do, I really do," Danny replied, stealing Damon's drink and draining it in one go. "If it makes you feel any better, no one knows everything about me. I keep secrets from everyone, even Elijah."

"Some would call that unhealthy," Stefan informed him, bouncing a quarter into his glass. "Drink up, brother."

"That's rich coming from a humanity-less Ripper with a constant habit of consistently falling off the wagon," Danny shot back as Damon requested another bottle from the bartender.

The two stared at each other for a moment before Damon interjected with, "You've been on this bunny diet for the better part of fifty years. So, how is it that Saint Stefan, of all people, gets good at a drinking game?"

Danny raised an expectant eyebrow at his younger brother, who looked away from him and began to explain, "Well, the bunny diet gave me a lot of time to practice. Wallow in despair." He bounced a quarter into the glass. "Drown in guilt." Another quarter. "Regret my existence." Another quarter. "It's precision born out of tragic boredom. Drink up, brother."

"That's a very nihilistic point of view, Stef. Not to mention down right depressing," Danny informed the man.

"All that effort wasted trying to tell you how boring you were, and now you finally agree with me?" Damon questioned, drinking down his other glass.

"Inform the media, a miracle has occurred," Danny grinned, clinking his empty glass against Damon's.

"You two are worse than Elena," Stefan told them, ignoring the mildly affronted look on the oldest one's face. "Getting me drunk. Brotherly bonding. What, you think I'll break down and you can pull me back from the edge? Is that it?"

"We happen to like the edge, Stefan," Damon stated.

"It's a fun place – if you don't consistently fall off of it," Danny continued.

"Which is your problem: you have the inability to resist falling over it," Damon finished. "You're all or nothing, man. You can't just...be." He leaned back, allowing the bartender to sit in his lap with a full bottle of whiskey. "Although, who am I to judge?" He bounced a quarter in a glass. "Drink up, brother."

Damon held out the bartender's arm, prompting Danny to grab the bottle off the table and poor himself a glass of whiskey. He ignored the sound of Stefan biting into the girl's arm, suppressing every instinct – which was borne from years of hunting – which told him to protect the girl and kick Stefan's ass. _Relax. You're doing this for your brother. We tried Lexi's way, and now we're trying Damon's._

* * *

Danny leaned back in his chair, a sour expression on his face as he watched Stefan bury his fangs into the bartender's neck. His gaze switched over to Damon, who was dancing with some brunette on top of the bar. He then looked down at the glass in his hand, draining its contents in one go before slamming it back down on the table and rising from his seat. He was about to walk over to Stefan and drag him away when his phone began to buzz. He answered it, telling Dean to wait a moment before walking over to Damon and hitting his leg to get his attention.

"I need to answer this phone call. You need to handle our brother," Danny informed him, jerking his thumb behind him to where Stefan was.

When Damon had nodded his confirmation, Danny walked away in the direction of the bathrooms. He stepped into the men's room, closing and locking the door behind him and telling Dean to proceed. They spent a few minutes on the phone, wherein the hunter asked him weird questions about shapeshifter babies and what to do with them. After Danny reminded the man that it was strictly against their code to kill babies – shifter or not – he then told him that it was just like taking care of a normal baby. Only more gross because they occasionally shed their skin and left gunk everywhere.

With one fire put out, Danny left the bathroom and proceeded to walk back into the main room. He pulled back abruptly into the shadows as he spotted a familiar figure striding towards his brothers. _Fuck my life so hard right now._ He groaned internally, peeking around the corner to see Mikael make contact with his brothers. He strained his ears, hoping to hear what they were saying over the loud music.

"...The Salvatore boys, I presume," Mikael was saying, pointing at Damon. "You look remarkably like your older brother."

"Mikael," Stefan stated, slowly turning to face him.

"I believe you were searching for me," the vampire said before turning his gaze back to Damon. "You wouldn't happen to know where I could find your brother, would you?"

Danny held his breath as Damon replied convincingly with, "No. What does it matter? You're supposed to be hunting for Klaus."

"Yes, quite right. I suppose I shall have to search for him once I'm done with Niklaus," Mikael nodded before turning back to Stefan. "Has Klaus entered the country?"

Danny slowly released the breath he was holding as Mikael began to play twenty questions with his youngest brother, none of which the vampire was able to answer. The hybrid, however, still remained visibly tense as he covertly observed the Original's interactions with his siblings. For a moment, he debated interfering. _Mikael won't kill them, though. As long as he doesn't know where Klaus or I am, he needs them alive._ He finally told himself.

However, Danny had to revise that statement when Mikael shoved his hand into Damon's chest, wrapping his fingers around his heart. The Nephilim had to stop himself from springing forward and attacking the man, knowing that he could inadvertently cause the man to rip his brother's heart out. The light above him began to flicker, forcing him to close his eyes and try to relax himself. He tried to keep his breathing steady, using his son's face as a focal point to redirect his emotions.

After a moment, he slowly released a long breath of air and opened his eyes, peeking his head around the corner once more. Thankfully, Mikael had gone, and both his brothers were alright. He looked around, sighing with relief when he noticed the vampire was nowhere in sight. He ran up to his brothers, placing a hand on both their shoulders and scrutinizing them carefully.

"Sorry," he finally stated with a frown. "I wanted to jump in, but I didn't want to risk Mikael yanking your heart out of your chest."

"No worries, it all worked out," Damon shrugged off his apology.

"What happened? I lost the rest of the conversation when Mikael put his hand in your chest."

The two brothers looked at each other before Stefan said, "Mikael said we shouldn't tell you." At Danny's raised eyebrow, he expounded with, "He said you would – and I'm quoting him directly here - 'back the beast'."

"That is not true," Danny placed a hand over his heart in mock indignation. "I have never once backed up Lucifer – Dean can attest to that."

The two looked at him in confusion for a moment before Damon caught on and started chuckling at the joke. Danny grinned at this, his smile widening further when Stefan didn't seem to get it.

* * *

 _September 16, 2010_

Danny stood back, hands placed triumphantly on his hips as he looked at the crib he had finally managed to put together. _It's missing something... besides the mattress, I mean._ After a minute of thought, it finally occurred to him just what was missing. He ran to his desk, grabbing a blank piece of paper and a pencil. He carefully etched the design he wanted on the paper and, when he was done, cut out pieces to make a stencil.

He then opened the drawers of his desk, taking out a paintbrush and two different colors of paint. Moving back to the crib, he placed the stencil on top of the backboard and covered most of the stencil in black paint – with the exception of two spots, which he painted blue. Removing the stencil, he looked proudly on the design on his son's crib. He reached a hand up, lightly touching the amulet upon which the design was based. _It'll be our family crest, boy-o. Now, we just need a motto. I would use "Always and Forever", but the Originals stole that. Hmm...something to do with 'savior'? That is what Salvatore means, after all... Nah, that'll put too much on him._

Thankfully, he was interrupted from banging his head against the problem by the ringing of his phone, which he promptly answered with, "Sup, Klaus-dawg?"

"Daniel," the British voice greeted him. "Perhaps you can tell me what your brother has been up to?"

"Not a clue. Don't want to know. Trying very hard not to care – and you're ruining it," Danny replied, walking back over to his desk and scribbling down more ideas.

"So, you have no knowledge of Mikael being daggered?"

"What? He has?" Danny replied in a surprised tone. "Dude, we should throw a party to celebrate. Preferably not at my house since I hate most of Mystic Falls. That, and your new friends probably shed so..."

"I think I might have an idea about that, my dear friend," Klaus replied, an audible smirk in his voice. "I've heard that there's some sort of dance tomorrow perhaps it should be moved to the Lockwood mansion instead?"

"Sounds cool, but how to get everyone there..." Danny frowned, thinking for a moment before snapping his fingers. "I can flood the school."

"Brilliant."

* * *

 _September 17, 2010_

Danny carefully pushed his way through the crowd of people, grimacing as he made his way around a few grinding teens. He plucked a full cup of beer from some random person, ignoring their protests as he chugged it down before crushing the cup in his hand and throwing it in some random direction. He snickered lightly when it landed on someone's head, stopping abruptly and looking around innocently as the person looked around for the thrower.

He did this two more times before he finally made it through to the backdoor. Upon exiting, he looked around, hoping to find Klaus but instead spotting several of Elena's friends as well as the departing form of Stefan. For a moment, he debated going after his youngest brother and finding out what was going on with Mikael. He then decided that he didn't want to know. _I won't choose between the Mikaelsons and my brothers. Best just to stay out of the whole mess._ He nodded to himself, stealing another cup from a broad-shouldered teen that was walking by.

The male took offense to this and got up in Danny's face, yelling at him for his drink back. Danny thought about it for a moment before pouring the rest of the beer in his mouth and then spitting it all over the male's face. The teen looked at him, appalled at his actions before he grabbed the front of the hybrid's suit jacket. He held back a fist, prepared to punch Danny in the face when a hand grabbed his arm and stopped him.

Danny followed the hand, grinning when he spotted Klaus. Klaus pulled the teen away before compelling him to walk away. He then turned to Danny and the two stared at each other for a moment before embracing in a hug and laughing lightly.

"Well, you certainly know how to make an entrance," Klaus remarked, his eyes following the teen he had sent off.

"I try. But it's nowhere near as grand at this," Danny replied, gesturing to the band. "Not who I would've chosen for a band, but I'll give the whole thing a solid nine out of ten."

"Oh? And who would you have chosen?"

"Nickelback," Danny shrugged before a thought occurred to him and he grimaced. "Which, now that I think about it...probably a good idea that they aren't playing. I don't want you and the rest of your friends eating them."

"Yes, I don't think my friends would be able to tolerate the awful music, despite what I may command," Klaus smirked at Danny, who folded his arms over his chest.

"They really aren't that bad. I don't see what everyone's problem is with them," Danny grumbled defensively, receiving a chuckle from Klaus.

The two talked for a bit more, wherein the Original hybrid asked what had happened to Danny's eye. The Nephilim replied in short, curt sentences what had occurred, still not comfortable with talking about it. Even mentioning Raphael these days was liable to set him off and – when that happened – things usually caught fire. Since Danny had no wish to see people spontaneously combust – at least, not yet anyway – he carefully steered the conversation in a much safer direction: his birthday a few days ago.

"I'm just saying, you could have at least called – or even texted. Not acknowledging it is just rude," Danny was telling him.

"I don't see you acknowledging my birthday. I thought it only fair," Klaus replied in an amused tone.

"Dude, you've never even told me when your birthday was -"

"Neither have you."

Danny closed his mouth abruptly before making a 'that's fair' face and turning back to look over the field of people. Klaus left him to go talk to Tyler before walking over to Elena. _Wait a damn minute._ Danny narrowed his eyes, able to make out the blurred edges around her figure – edges that usually denoted that someone was a vampire. _Katherine Pierce. My lucky day._ He waited for Klaus to walk away before silently making his way over to stand beside her, his hands folded neatly behind his back.

"I don't know what kind of crazy plans you've got cooked up with my brothers, Katherine," Danny whispered in her ear, suppressing a grin when he noticed her tense up. "And I don't want to know. You better just hope that, whatever it is, it doesn't fail. If either of my brothers die, I will kill you."

"I thought you wanted to torture me," she replied back.

"Oh, I do. But I've come to learn that we don't always get what we want. But if you try real hard, you get what you need," he informed her, chuckling internally at his song reference. "I may want to torture you, but I'm sure their death will throw me into an all-consuming rage that will cause you to spontaneously combust. So, I may not get to torture you, but watching you scream in agony as you burn to death is the next best thing."

"You're insane," she whispered.

"Twelve hundred years in Hell will do that to you," he replied with a bitter smile before patting her head. "Have fun with the rest of the party – while you still can."

With his threat delivered, the hybrid walked off and made his way back to the house – now and again stealing beers from the people he passed by. When they became indignant, he turned on his compulsion and sent them on their merry way, not wanting to get into any sort of fisticuffs with anyone. Getting the male from earlier to almost punch him had only been a way to get Klaus' attention, he had no real reason to piss anyone off, after all. _At least, not until Mikael inevitably shows up anyway._

Danny was well aware that Mikael had not been put down – the likelihood of Elena having been able to do it was astronomically low. His fight with the 'Original Dick', as he referred to him – or the 'Original Giuseppe' when he felt like being extra spiteful – had almost cost him his undead life. _No way in hell some doppelgänger with no physical training got the jump on a thousand-year-old Viking badass._ He told himself firmly, rifling through the Lockwoods' pantry and managing to find an unopened box of Cheez-Its. _Jackpot._

He was in the process of opening the box when one of Klaus' hybrids ran into the room, informing him that Klaus had requested his presence in the foyer. When Danny asked why, she replied simply with the name 'Mikael' and ran off. The hybrid looked between his box and the direction Klaus was in before groaning and tossing the box back in the pantry, though not before taking a handful of the delectable little squares with him.

He made his way into the foyer where Klaus stood, popping a cracker in his mouth as Mikael – who was standing just outside the doorway – said, "Hello, Niklaus. Daniel."

"Sup, dick?" Danny replied, popping another square in his mouth.

"Hello, Mikael. Won't you come in? Oh, that's right, I forgot you can't," Klaus greeted his step-father.

"Sick burn, bro," Danny commented, snickering when Klaus flipped him off behind his back.

"Or you can both come outside if you want," Mikael replied in his usual calm manner.

"No thanks, beating your ass once is enough for me," Danny informed him, eating another square.

"Yes, and how did you do that, I wonder?" Mikael responded, a knowing smile playing over his face for a moment. "How is it that a century and a half old vampire managed to beat a thousand-year-old Original?"

"I'm awesome and you suck?" Danny suggested, not liking where this was going even as a stuffed another cracker in his mouth.

"You see, I asked myself that very question the entire time I was incarcerated, and never came upon an adequate answer," Mikael continued, ignoring the Nephilim's response. "That is, until your friend, Katherine, freed me and told me everything I needed to know. Tell me, Daniel, how was Hell?"

The hybrid's face spasmed angrily, the lights above him flickering as he tried to smother his anger. After one of the windows shattered, he managed to calm himself down enough to say, "Brilliant. You should visit sometime – maybe even move there. I'm sure you'd feel right at home."

He dropped the rest of his crackers on the floor, not feeling hungry anymore. He ignored Klaus' curious gaze, kicking the floor as he waited for the hybrid to go back to talking with his step-father. Klaus then threatened Mikael with his hybrids, who surrounded the Original in the front yard. Mikael then reminded Klaus that, because they were part vampire, they could be compelled. He then had one of the hybrids – the female that had retrieved Danny earlier – bring forth 'Elena' and threatened to kill her if Klaus didn't come out and fight him. When the werepire refused and told him to do it, Mikael obliged, stabbing her in the abdomen.

Danny opened his mouth to inform the hybrid that it was Katherine, when he felt hands on his neck and heard a quick snap. After that, everything went dark.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, etc. are welcome. Requests for updates are not. (Seriously, gives me really bad anxiety when I see them.)**


	37. Chapter 37: Raph Gets Salty

**Chapter 37: Raph Gets Salty**

 _September 18, 2010_

Danny sat up, clutching his neck and looking around frantically. He felt a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to grab and twist it. He rose up swiftly as he did so, twisting the person's arm behind their back as they yelled in a mixture of surprise and pain. _I know that yell..._ He frowned, looking down to see it was Dean he had attacked. _What's he doing here? And where even is...?_ He trailed off, looking around to see that he was in the living room of his home, where he had been laying on one of the couches.

Dean made a noise, reminding the hybrid to release him as he looked around in confusion. _I remember Mikael and Klaus...I was about to tell Klaus about Katherine before I heard a 'snap.'_ He quickly realized that – judging from the slowly fading stiffness in his neck – that he had made the snapping sound. Or, rather, his neck had. Despite his curiosity as to who had done it and why, he settled for dealing with the more immediate bewilderment he currently found himself in.

"Dean? What're you doing here?" he questioned, helping the hunter to his feet and glancing at his wrist to make sure he hadn't broken it.

"Yeah, no, my hand's great. Thanks for asking," Dean replied sarcastically, rotating the appendage. "I was nearby, thought you might want in on a case Sam called me about."

"A case? What kind of case?" Danny inquired, his interest piqued.

"No clue. It's in a town called Easter, in PA," Dean informed him. When Danny stared at him, he expounded with, "Look, Sam didn't give me any details, and Kate suggested that I bring you along so you could get a read on him."

"'A read on him'?" Danny repeated. "I'm not a psychic, Dean. I don't 'read people'."

Now it was Dean's turn to stare at him, his eyebrow quirked upward in a gesture of mild disbelief, prompting the hybrid to roll his eyes and say, "Alright, fine – I used to be a psychic. But not a real one. I was faking the whole time to blend in with the carnies. Took Gabriel four months to find me that time."

"So, are you gonna help or not?"

"I would love to, Dean, but I have some problems of my own to deal with. So, if you don't mind, I need to find one or both of my brothers so I can deal with them," Danny told the man, clapping him on the shoulder and beginning to stride past him.

Dean stopped him, taking an envelope out of the inside pocket of his jacket and handing it to him. Danny frowned at it, seeing that the envelope was addressed to 'Big Brother' and was written in Damon's familiar scrawl. The hybrid opened it carefully, taking out the piece of paper and frowning at the words written on it.

 _Klaus killed Mikael. Stefan and Katherine are in the wind._

 _Have fun on your trip._

 _Damon_

 _P.S. Sorry I snapped your neck._

 _Short, vague, and straight to the point. Only two of those sound like Damon._ He chuckled to himself. He reread the last line, debating whether or not he should be pissed that his younger brother had killed him. Again. Deciding that he would figure that out later, he told Dean that he'd be accompanying him on the hunting trip and ran upstairs to change and grab his hunting bag.

* * *

"Nik, I know you're lying," Dean said on his phone, getting out of the car. "Because I lie professionally, that's how. Now, tell your mom that you broke the damn thing and take it like a man. Okay? Okay, okay." There was a pause as he walked over to stand in front of Sam. "Yeah, love you too, kiddo."

Dean hung up the phone as Danny walked up beside him, looking Sam up and down with critical eye. _Not a shifter, demon, angel, or anything else remotely magical._ He nodded with satisfaction. _But there is definitely something off about him... the way he carries himself is...different._ He tilted his head to the side, narrowing his eyes slightly as he tried to discern what exactly was different about the man.

It had taken a few hours for the duo to arrive in Easter, and a significantly less amount of time for Dean to change into his Fed outfit and pull up at the police station. Danny had decided to forego the suit and tie deal in favor of an old classic of his: black leather jacket, black jeans, black boots, and a black flannel. Dean had given him a look, to which Danny had reminded the man that if the people he ran into were skeptical as to his identity, he usually just compelled them. The hunter seemed a mixture of disapproving and envious, but ultimately let the subject drop.

"Wow," Sam said, smirking slightly.

"What?" Dean replied, looking up from his phone as he pocketed it.

"You, molding the minds of tomorrow, who knew?" Sam answered, resting an elbow on the spoiler of his black car.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Dean and Danny replied simultaneously, sparing each other a look before Dean held his hand out for the file Sam was holding.

"Hey, Danny, I wasn't expecting to see you here," Sam continued, handing the file to his brother and receiving a noncommittal shrug from the hybrid. "What happened to your eye?"

"Angel fight. I won," Danny replied shortly, his tone making it clear that he didn't want to talk about it.

Sam got the message and instead asked Dean about Kate and the kids. The older Winchester replied that things were 'all good' and the three proceeded to walk inside the police precinct. Sam then began to explain that the victim was 17-year police veteran Officer Gerald Hatch, and that he had been found dead in the ready room three days prior, essentially liquefied.

"...Most of the meat, bones, dense tissues, they just turned to blood," Sam was saying as they entered the morgue, the three of them flashing their fake badges for the guard.

"Okay, I don't get it," Dean replied, looking at the file once more.

"Nobody gets it."

"I think what Dean means is that, if the guy had to be hoovered up, why the hell are we in a morgue?" Danny questioned, receiving a nod of agreement from the shortest of the group.

"Not here to look at him," Sam answered, opening up a freezer drawer.

They lifted the sheet off the guy's face, and Danny gave a mildly disgusted look at the numerous bulbous boils all over the man's face. Sam said that he had just been brought in and that his name was Officer Toby Gray. He had been found dead in his patrol car on the outside of town, lying in wait to speed trap some poor sod. The cause of death had been listed as 'extreme allergic reaction', prompting Danny to give an amused huff. _Anaphylaxis this is not._

Dean suggested that it might be witchcraft, prompting Sam to respond with, "That was my first instinct, but I've found zero signs of hex work anywhere. Far as I can tell, witchcraft was not involved."

"Looks a little plague-y to me," Danny input.

"Gotta be some sort of link between, uh, Skidmark and Bubblewrap here," Dean stated, receiving a word of agreement from his brother.

"Well, they were both officers of the law," Danny told them, looking over Dean's shoulder at the M.E.'s notes. "They've probably patrolled together at some point – maybe got involved in something shady?"

"Why does it have to be something shady?" Dean questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Because I don't believe in incorruptible cops – especially not when something this horrendous happens," Danny replied easily. "Revenge is obviously a motive here, so we should look into cases the two were connected to. Should also talk to some other officers in the precinct and get the lowdown on these two – any witnesses we need to look at, Samwise?"

"Yep, uh," Sam began, taking out his notepad and looking at it. "Officer Ed Colfax. Saw Hatch go from a solid to a liquid."

"Another cop?" Dean asked incredulously.

"Hatch's partner," Sam clarified.

"Alright, you guys go have a chat with Officer Ice Cube's partner while I look into some cases they were involved in," Danny instructed them, slamming the drawer closed.

"Who put you in charge?" Sam inquired, a slight sneer on his face.

"I did. Age and experience put me way above your heads, Samantha," Danny smirked, poking the man's nose and receiving a disgruntled look in response.

* * *

An hour and a half passed after Danny had parted ways with the brothers to pursue his own line of investigation. He had the EPD send him the old case files of the officers, starting with the most recent ones and checking for any oddities within them. He made his way back to their hotel room and began perusing the files, now and again looking something up on Sam's laptop for clarification on something. During that time, he also contemplated what he would do about Damon.

 _On one hand, I'm a bit miffed about the whole neck-snapping thing._ He mused, setting one file off to the side in the slowly accumulating 'BS pile'. _On the other, I'm a tad relieved that I didn't have to choose between my brother and Klaus._ He paused, staring at the wall with a slight frown as he briefly pondered why it was even a choice. He loved his brothers, they were his family. _So are the Mikaelsons._ Another voice retorted. _You love them too. They looked out for you – gave you a new home, a new life. They're as much your family as Damon and Stefan are._

"What is it that Bobby likes to say? 'Family don't end in blood'? Yeah, that's it," he finally hummed before turning back to the files.

It was shortly after that that Sam and Dean had returned to the room and told them about the encounter with Colfax. They told him about Christopher Birch, prompting the hybrid to search through the files he hadn't been able to get to yet in search of the case. Meanwhile, they proceeded to inform him about the locusts that had dug a hole in the man's head, slowly killing him.

"You found locusts in the dude's brain matter?" Danny asked in a tone of mild disbelief, receiving a nod of confirmation from the two. "Well, then we're three for three on the plagues."

"Yeah, blood, boils, locusts – that's just awesome," Dean grumbled, sitting down in the chair next to Danny.

"Three of your more popular Egyptian plagues – how did you even call that?" Sam questioned, looking at Danny curiously as he sat on the hybrid's other side.

"'The Mummy' is one of my favorite movies. The plagues feature quite prominently in the second half," he informed them, scanning over another file and putting it off to the side before grabbing another.

"But these guys ate their way out of a cop's melon," Dean said, setting a jar of locusts on the table, much to the disgruntlement of the man looking through the files. "I don't quite remember that in the King James."

"Yeah, the Bible doesn't have everything, Dean. Doesn't even go over evolution – ah hah!" Danny exclaimed, finally finding the right file. "Christopher Birch, got his brains blown out last month after a vehicle pursuit. According to Gray, Hatch, and Colfax, he was brandishing a firearm when he exited the vehicle, forcing them to fire."

"Just a kid with no face and a planted gun," Dean stated, thinking back to Colfax's words. "Bunch of dicks. So, they popped the kid, planted the piece."

"Told you they were shady," Danny reminded him, closing the file.

"Maybe Colfax is right," Sam sighed. "Maybe heaven has a hate on for bad cops."

"Not likely. Heaven's got bigger problems to sort out – they don't really deal with judging douchey cops," Danny informed them, pushing the jar of locusts away from him with a pen.

"Danny's got a point," Dean said, rising from his chair and reaching into the mini-fridge to grab a beer. "Besides, you're listening to the guy with the bug in his custard? That's the, uh, theory you wanna go with?"

"Angels gotta have something to do with this. Biblical plagues and all," Sam responded logically.

Dean and Danny exchanged a look, somewhat agreeing with the statement before Dean advised that they call Cas. Sam informed them that he tried to do so when he got out of the Cage, but that the angel never responded. _We had bigger, Raphael-sized problems we needed to solve first... But, if he prayed to Cas, wouldn't that mean he knew Sam was topside? Why wouldn't he tell me?_ The hybrid's brow furrowed in confusion, suspicion flicking through his mind. _If he kept that from me, what else is he keeping hidden?_ He shook himself from his thoughts. _No use wondering about it, best just to ask him._

"Well, let's give it a shot," Dean said from his new spot on the bed, bowing his head and closing his eyes. "Now I lay me down to sleep... I pray to Castiel to get his feathery ass down here."

"You're an idiot," Sam commented with a vague smile.

"Stay positive."

"Oh, I am positive," Sam said before turning to Danny. "Why don't you give it a shot?"

"Oh, uh, okay?" Danny replied, clasping his hands together and frowning, unsure of he was doing this correctly. "Uh, dearest Cassie, I beseech thee to flap thine glorious wings and descend from on high to mingle with us commoners."

When nothing happened, he said in a more authoritative tone, "Castiel, get your ass down here, Imhotep is being a dick. Seriously, it's like plague central down here."

They waited a moment for Castiel to appear. When he did not immediately show, Sam said – in a very snarky tone, "Like I said, ahem, the son of a bitch doesn't answer."

Danny looked past him at the whooshing sound of wings, grinning widely when he saw Castiel had arrived. Sam noticed the look on the other two hunters' faces, prompting him to ask if the angel was behind him. When the two nodded their assent, he turned in his seat and tilted his head up slightly to look at Cas.

"Hello," the angel greeted in his usual monotone manner.

"Hello?" Sam repeated in a tone of disbelief.

"Yes," Cas replied hesitantly, seeming a bit unsure.

Sam exchanged a glance with his brother who shook his head slightly before the taller of the two said in a mocking tone, "Hello. Hello?"

"Uh, that is still the term?" Cas asked in mild confusion, looking at Danny for confirmation.

The hybrid gave him two thumbs up and a broad smile in response.

"I spent all that time trying to get through to you. Danny and Dean call once, and now it's hello?" Sam shouted.

"Yes," Cas sighed, striding further into the room.

"So, what, you like them better or something?"

"The three of us do share a more profound bond.," Cas said, turning to face Sam before turning back to Dean. "I wasn't gonna mention it."

Danny felt a mixture of warmth and confusion at Cas' remark. _I get the whole 'profound bond' thing with me. I drink his blood, I fight beside him, and we've saved each other's lives more times than we can count. But what about Dean – oh, right. He 'raised him from perdition' or whatever._ Satisfied with the answer, the hybrid leaned back slightly in his chair to quietly observe the conversation. He didn't really fancy getting involved in the Winchesters' beef with the angel, after all.

Dean mentioned how Sam had gone to Hell for them, and berated Cas for not sparing the time to answer his questions. Cas replied that he didn't have any answers, so he was unable to respond to the moose-man. He didn't have any idea who brought Sam back from the Cage or why. Sam asked if it was God, to which the angel answered that God hadn't even been sighted, and that the whole thing was mysterious. _That's an odd thing to tack onto the end._ Danny frowned, looking at the angel with open curiosity now.

"What the hell does that mean?" Sam questioned, rising from his seat to stand in front of the angel.

"What part of 'I don't know' escapes your understanding?" Cas replied, stepping closer to the man.

Danny stood up slightly, prepared to intervene in case things got too heated. Dean defused the situation a bit, telling the angel to answer if Sam called. _He's not a fucking dog, Dean._ Danny thought irritably, holding back the comment.

"... You wing your ass down here and you tell him 'I don't know'," Dean stated, also rising from his chair. "Just because we have some sort of bond or whatever -"

"You think I came because _you_ called?" Cas asked rhetorically. "I came because Danny only calls when there's an emergency – and this counts as one."

Danny grinned widely at this, his smile only faltering slightly when the angel picked up the jar of locusts to examine it. Dean then said, "Well, it's nice to know what matters."

"It does help one to focus," the two immortals replied simultaneously.

"Wait, so you and the Halo Patrol, you guys aren't the cause of these killings?" Sam asked with a frown.

"No. But they were committed with one of our weapons," Cas informed them. "There's only one thing that could have brought this into existence."

"You mean the staff of Moses?" Danny inquired, receiving looks that were somewhere between curiosity, astonishment, and mild disbelief. "What? Just because the Bible's full of garbage doesn't mean I haven't read it."

Cas was the first to shake off his surprise, saying, "It was used in a dominance display against the Egyptians, as I recall."

"Yeah, slaughter of the first-born child, frogs, locusts, boils, blood. All the greatest hits," Danny rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, that one made the papers," Dean added.

"I thought the staff turned, like, a river into blood, not one dude," Sam stated in a confused tone.

Danny frowned at this, meeting Cas' gaze as they both seemed to reach the same conclusion: the weapon wasn't at full power. _That rules Moses out._ Danny snickered as Castiel told the Winchesters as much. Dean asked what the stick was doing down on Earth, prompting the angel to respond that – in the ensuing chaos following the aversion of the apocalypse – that several weapons had been stolen. Cas then asked for their help, receiving a chuckle from Sam as he replied with 'that's rich'. With an angry look, the angel tossed the jar of locusts into the man's hands.

"Sam, Dean, my 'people skills', are 'rusty'," Cas began in an angry tone, heavily using quotation marks with his fingers. "Pardon me, but I have spent the last 'year' as a multi-dimensional wavelength of celestial intent. But believe me, you do not want that weapon down here. Help me find it, or more people will die."

The three hunters stared at him before Danny said, "Remind me to give you a lesson on the proper use of finger quotations, Cassie. First lesson: don't use them." He then reopened Birch's file. "Now, pop a squat, boys, we got some research to do."

Within a minute, it became apparent that they needed to question Birch's father, who had asked for an investigation following his son's death. Cas teleported the Winchesters to his house, leaving Danny – who couldn't enter the home without being invited in anyway – behind. The hybrid decided to clean up a bit in that time, gathering up loose papers and placing them in a neat pile on the table. He then glanced around, bored out of his mind now that his only task had been completed. He walked over to the bed closest to the wall, falling back on it and staring up at the ceiling blankly.

"Portability," Cas' gruff voice sounded close by.

"Holy shi – wait, who's the kid?" Danny asked, startled by the sudden reappearance of Cas – who had a young boy flung over his right shoulder - and the Winchesters.

As Cas placed the boy on the bed that wasn't taken, Dean pointed out that he kidnapped the kid. Cas told them that if the angel they sought bought the boy's soul, then a brand could be found on said soul. _Angels buying souls? Are crossroad angels a thing now? What the hell did I miss?_ Danny frowned, deciding to keep his mouth shut so he would find out just what was going on.

Cas said that he could read the mark by touching the boy's soul. Danny winced sympathetically, placing his hand over his chest as he recalled Lucifer reaching in there to unite his soul with the vestiges of angelic Grace in his body. Dean argued against the idea, as did Danny, for obvious reasons. Sam, however, said that it needed to be done. It was very out of character for the usually gentle and empathetic giant, leading Danny to believe that Kate might be right about there being something off with him.

"You're gonna torture a kid?" Dean asked incredulously.

"I can't care about that, Dean," Cas informed him before turning to meet Danny's gaze, willing him to understand. "I don't have the luxury."

Danny turned his head away as Cas sunk his hand into the boy's chest, causing him to scream loudly. _Is the war with Raphael really worth this, Cas? Is it worth causing this boy pain? Are we really winning if we're becoming the people we're fighting against?_ For the first time since their crusade began, Danny began to have doubts. He struggled to push them away, knowing that thinking about it wouldn't do him much good – he had given his word to help Castiel win the war against Raphael. _No matter what the cost may be._ He continued bitterly, turning his head back as the screams ceased. _I may not be able to take away my memories, but..._

He held his hand out to Cas, his expression serious as he met the angel's gaze. Cas hesitated for a moment before procuring a vial of his blood from the inside of his coat. Danny downed the vial in one go before placing his fingers on the sides of the boy's head and allowing the power to flow through him. He reached into his mind, plucking the fresh memory of Cas touching his soul from his mind. The memory taken, he pulled back, severing his connection to his magic as he did so. _At least you won't have to carry this around, kid. Should save your parents money on years of therapy bills._

"What the hell did you do?" Dean demanded.

"I took away his memory of the incident. He won't remember us or the pain of having his soul touched," Danny informed him. "There should be no lasting psychological or emotional damage."

"Did you get a name? What is it?" Sam interrogated, keeping to the task at hand.

"I thought he died in the war," Cas said, walking away from the boy as he rolled down his sleeve.

"What, he was a friend or something?" Moose tried to clarify.

"A good friend," Cas sighed.

"Your frat buddy is now moonlighting as a crossroads demon," Dean told him.

"Balthazar, I wonder -"

"So, we can find him now, right?" Sam asked.

"Balthazar," a new voice stated, prompting everyone to turn and see a man in a suit. "Thanks, Castiel, we'll make good use of the name."

 _Dammit._ Danny snarled rushing forward and allowing his angel blade to fall from his sleeve to his right hand – a useful trick Cas had taught him. He and his friend brought up their blades, deflecting the angel's downward strike. He swiped to the side, only to be blocked once more by Danny as Castiel ducked. The angel knocked Danny away with a wave of his free hand, catching him by surprise and sending him flying into the wall. _Cheating bitch. I really, really hate angels._

Cas only spared him a glance before he had to raise his blade once more to parry the angel's attack. The angel then informed the duo that Raphael said 'hello'. _I doubt he said that._ Danny thought bitterly, rising to his feet. _He never says anything to me without throwing three or four insults into the mix._ Danny prepared himself to jump back into the fray, when Cas shoved the angel away before disarming him and plunging them both out the window. Danny vamped over, raising an eyebrow and smirking when he noticed that the two had landed on Sam's car.

"You alright, Cas?" Danny called as the Winchesters ran to his side.

Castiel groaned before slowly moving off the car, not noticing the other angel disappear as he did so. Dean commented that the silver lining was that the car was destroyed, receiving a glare from his brother and a chuckle from Danny. Cas then reappeared in the room and began searching the cabinets.

"Alright, Cas, who was that guy?" Sam questioned as the trio followed the angel.

"Soldier of Raphael," the two immortals replied simultaneously. Cas then further expounded with, "He must have followed me when I answered your call."

"Raphael? The archangel?" Sam clarified.

"No, the ninja turtle," Danny replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Yes, the bloody archangel."

"I'm sorry, what's going on here?" Sam asked.

"I can explain later," Cas answered, placing a bowl down on the table. "Right now, we have to -"

"No, not later, now," Dean said, impeding his progress as he held a hand out to stop him. "Stop, alright? There're too many angels, Cas. I don't know who's on first, what's on second -"

"Baseball reference," Danny supplied, cutting off his friend's question.

"What have you told them?" Cas questioned the hybrid, receiving a noncommittal shrug in response. "It is simple, Raphael and his followers, they want him to rule heaven. I and many others, the last thing we want is to let him take over. It would be catastrophic."

"You're talking civil war," Sam stated.

"Not the first one I've been in. But I like the side I chose this time," Danny gave a half-bitter smirk.

"Wait, you're part of this too?" Sam demanded before comprehension dawned on his face. "Raphael did that to you, didn't he?"

"Yep. I paid him back for it – put him out of commission for a bit," Danny grinned, still proud of his accomplishment.

"We have to find Balthazar and his weapons before Raphael does," Cas continued, walking over to the bed Danny had been laying on and pulling out his duffel bag from underneath it. "Whoever has the weapons wins the war."

"What happens if Raphael wins?" Dean asked the inevitable question. "I mean, what does he want?"

"Apocalypse: Take two," Danny replied for the angel, watching as he sifted through his bag. "He wants to restart the apocalypse."

"Why?" Dean asked slowly.

"I need myrrh," Cas said, turning around and holding a box and a flask of holy water in his hands.

"Try the nearest church – or Jerusalem," Danny suggested as Sam repeated the word.

Cas disappeared before returning behind them a second later. He drew a circle and some symbols on the table as Dean repeated his previous question. Cas replied that Raphael was a 'traditionalist', causing Dean to ask why the angel hadn't told them about any of this. Cas hesitated, looking at Danny and receiving an encouraging nod from the hybrid. He nodded slightly in return before telling the hunters that he was ashamed.

"I expected more from my brothers," he said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry."

There was a pause as Dean looked at Sam before Cas reached over and grabbed his hand, stating that he needed the hunter's blood. Despite Dean's protests, Cas cut his palm over the bowl and threw a few rock-like objects in there before he began chanting in Enochian. Danny missed some of it, but what he managed to pick out translated to something along the lines of 'appear to me, Balthazar'. Or, at least, he thought it did. His Enochian was a little rusty.

Cas finished his chant as he poured holy water over the concoction, causing faint tendrils of smoke to rise above the bowl. They began to hear police sirens approaching, prompting Sam to ask how long this would take. The angel continued to stare into the bowl before he told them he had the location. Dean asked about the kid, to which Cas replied that the police would take him home. He then teleported the three hunters to a very nice abode whose roof tiles led Danny to believe they were somewhere in Florida – or maybe Mexico.

"Huh. I was expecting more Dr. No, less Liberace," Dean commented.

Danny would have agreed with the statement, were he not bent over double trying to reorient himself. The three watched him for a moment before he shook himself and led the way toward the house. He and Cas separated from the Winchesters, allowing them to set traps while they made their way to the front door. Danny paused at the entryway, waving a hand over threshold before sighing in relief and stepping inside.

The two immortals took a moment to pause and look at each other as loud music blared throughout the house. A loud croak caught the hybrid's attention, prompting him to look up and raise his eyebrows at the amphibian. _Frog. Guess we're in the right place._ Danny nodded before vamping up the stairs after Cas, who had teleported to the top.

The two followed the music, stopping at a pair of double doors that Castiel opened. Differently colored lights illuminated the otherwise dark almost bare room, giving Danny the vibe that he was at a club. He frowned at the grand piano on the miniature stage, feeling that it was a bit out of place in the club-esque room. As the two strolled further into the room, the doors closed behind them, prompting them to turn around and draw their blades.

"Cas," a familiar voice called, drawing their attention. "You're here. And you must be Daniel, the Nephilim. I've heard so much about you."

Danny turned more slowly, eyes widening in shock at who was standing there. _Mikael? But...I thought Klaus killed him?_ He narrowed his eyes, before allowing his magic to activate in his left eye. The figure on stage glowed brightly, his wings unfurled on either side of him as he stood there. _Not Mikael then, that's a relief. Must be Balthazar._ He relaxed somewhat at this thought, releasing the flow of magic as he did so, but did not let his guard down.

"Balthazar," Cas stated, confirming the hybrid's suspicion.

"It's so good to see you," Balthazar smiled. "He told me you were floating around."

"He?" Cas questioned.

"I believe you two have flown together," Balthy chuckled, pointing at the now deceased angel from earlier laying near the end of the room.

Balthazar snapped, ceasing the music and turning on the lights, just as a frog began to crawl out of the dead angel's mouth. "Well, you know, the old frog in the throat."

"Hilarious," Danny rolled his eyes, though he could not help but smile in vague amusement.

"Even I know that's a bad joke," Cas commented. "I grieved your death."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry about that, you know," Balthazar said, striding towards them with a drink in his right hand. "I wanted them to think, you know, so they wouldn't come looking for me."

"What is all this?" Castiel asked in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"Whatever I want," the Mikael look-alike said. "This morning, I had a _ménage à_ – what's French for twelve?"

" _Douze,_ " Danny supplied, receiving a look from Castiel and a 'thanks' from Balthazar.

"You stole the staff of Moses," Cas reminded him, getting the conversation back on track.

Balthazar didn't deny it, and even admitted to having stolen a lot of things. Cas read him the riot act, citing that he had once been an honorable soldier and that they had fought together. Balthazar agreed with the statement, prompting Cas to say that he knows that he's not some common thief. _Common? No. Thief? Eh._ Danny thought, snickering to himself when Balthy voiced those exact thoughts.

Cas then said that he needed his help, to which Balthazar replied that he'd heard everything and that nothing had changed between them – they were still brothers – and he wanted to help him. Cas thanked him and then asked for the weapons, to which Balthazar had to refuse. Cas then asked the important questions: why did he take them and why did he run away?

"Because I could," Balthazar informed them.

"Y'know, when you really think about it, it's a good thing Balthazar stole the weapons," Danny began in a thoughtful tone, receiving looks from the two angels. "Imagine if he hadn't? Raphael could've gotten to them before us and we'd have been done for."

Castiel nodded, conceding the point before turning his hard stare back to Balthazar. Balthy then elaborated on what he had said earlier. Cas helping avert the apocalypse had prompted Balthazar to follow after him and rebel, doing whatever he liked with his newfound freedom – including stealing the weapons. Cas voiced his disapproval of Balthazar's choices.

"Hey, screw it, right? I mean, dad's not coming back," Balthy said, walking away from the two. "You might as well blow coke and jump on the bed. You proved to me that we could do anything, so I'm trying _everything_."

"That's all well and good," Danny began, drawing their attention once more. "But what happens when the coke and _ménage à douzes_ cease to be enough – because they will cease to be enough. What will you do then? Return to Heaven? Delve deeper into hedonism and debauchery? Take it from someone who knows, once you climb down that road, it's difficult to climb back up – especially when you're on your own."

"Who says I'll be on my own?" Balthazar countered.

"Who says you won't?" Danny shot back. "If Raphael wins this war, you will be on your own. Heaven won't be a place you'll want to return to. All of your friends will be dead or turned against you. The only chance you have for survival is to stand with us now and resume your life of general chaos and fuckery once we've defeated Raph." He took a step closer. "Fight with us, Balthazar. Give us the weapons."

Balthazar stared at him for a moment before saying, "You're quite persuasive, I'll give you that. But you know what I find hilarious? You and your boyfriend actually believe you can stop the fighting." Miraculously, Danny kept the redness from his face at this statement. "It will never stop. My advice, grab something valuable and fake your own death."

"You've gone insane," Cas told him. "Your little holiday is over. Raphael knows you're alive by now."

"Oh, Raphael can try me anytime. I'm armed," Balthazar stated arrogantly. "I'm sorry, Cas. All else aside, I'm really, really happy to see you. Even though you still have that stick up your ass. And Daniel -"

The rest of the angel's statement was interrupted by the crashing sound of thunder outside. Simultaneously, Danny felt a bolt of pain shoot through his eye and his left hand, and he clutched both with a groan as he fell to his knees. _Raphael._ The two angels seemed to draw the same conclusion, as Balthazar swiftly disappeared with a snap of his fingers – though not before asking them to tell Raphael to bite him. When the lights went off, Cas grabbed Danny by the shoulders and hauled him up before walking him over to the piano. He hid Danny behind the piano, instructing him to stay low and out of sight.

It didn't take long for an angel to appear. Cas tried to talk him down from fighting. When that failed, Cas threw his blade into the angel's chest, killing him instantly. _Holy shit. Nice shot, Cassie._ Danny couldn't help but think, momentarily startled out of his pain. The pain returned, but was swiftly replaced by anger when Raphael appeared behind angel, grabbing him by his hair and tilting his head back. He said a few words before throwing him through the double doors and following after him.

"Where. Is. The. Abomination?" Raphael asked, puncturing each word with a kick to the face or stomach.

When Cas didn't answer, the archangel picked him up off the ground and began punching him in the face before throwing him down the stairs. Unable to stand the sight of Castiel getting his ass handed to him, Danny smothered his pain and called forth unbridled rage to take its place as he vamped toward Raphael and tackled him over the banister.

The two landed on the floor below, which quickly became covered in ice as Danny rose to his feet, not bothering to keep his power in check anymore.

"Speak of the Devil and he shall appear," Danny grinned maliciously, holding out his arms as his face vamped out.

"Finally got tired of hiding like a coward?" Raphael questioned with a sneer, rising to his own feet, his breath curling in the cold air.

"I was following orders, actually. Then I thought: only losers and dumbasses blindly follow orders," Danny's glowing eyes took on a devilish twinkle. "And I ain't a Raphael. Also, Balthazar says 'bite me'."

Raphael's face contorted in fury as he raised his blade, prepared to rush over and strike. He was stopped, however, when Balthazar appeared behind him and called out to him.

"Look at my junk," the angel stated, holding up a stone.

Danny cast his eyes downward, away from the stone as it began to glow. He managed to see Raphael's vessel turn into a pillar of salt, at least before it slowly started to crumble. When all that was left was salt and clothing, Danny reined his power back in before jogging up the stairs and helping Cas to his feet. The angel stared at him with an unreadable expression before allowing himself to be led down the stairs to face Balthazar, who was chuckling at his achievement.

"Same thing happened to Lot's wife," the angel informed them. "Iodize the poor sucker and your kitchen is stocked for life."

"I knew Raph was salty, but this is just ridiculous," Danny shook his head dramatically, smirking all the while. "You wouldn't happen to have a jar, would you?"

"You're not actually going to use him for seasoning, are you?" Castiel inquired.

"No, but he'll make a nice trophy, I reckon," Danny replied with a lopsided smile.

Balthazar informed him that there was a rather large jar in one of the cupboards in the kitchen. With a nod of thanks, the hybrid vamped toward the direction he was pointing and soon arrived in the kitchen. He took a few minutes to search through the cupboards before finally finding a decent-sized jar to put Raphael in. He took his time walking back to the foyer, frowning when he heard Dean yelling about angels. When he finally arrived at his destination, only the two Winchesters remained.

"What'd I miss?" he questioned.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, etc. are welcome. Requests for updates are not. (Seriously, gives me really bad anxiety when I see them.)**


	38. Chapter 38: Family Problems

_September 26, 2010_

Danny readjusted the large jar of salt on his desk, making sure the newly placed plaque in front of it was easily visible from his bed. After a couple more shifts, he stepped away, satisfied with the placement. Shortly after Danny's hunt with the Winchesters ended, he had gotten a plaque commemorating the second defeat of Raphael, archangel of doucheyness. He made sure that the plaque read " _Here Lieth Raphael: The Saltiest Angel Whoever Lived_ ". He had gotten a weird look from the woman he hired to make the plaque, but a little compulsion ensured that she wouldn't ask too many questions.

 _Unlike Damon, who asks too many._ Danny smiled fondly, recalling the conversation with his younger brother shortly after his return.

 _September 19, 2010_

 _Danny waved farewell to the Winchesters as he put his hand on the handle of the front door. He watched them salute before Dean drove off, leaving the vampire to readjust the large jar of salt under his left arm as he unlocked the door and stepped inside. He closed the door behind him, turning around to see Damon standing in the living room, holding two glasses of bourbon and looking a bit nervous._

 _"How was the trip?" his brother asked, holding out a glass as Danny came closer._

 _"Brilliant," the hybrid replied, taking the glass with his free hand as he settled himself on one of the couches._

 _Damon frowned, sitting down opposite him as he said, "I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or honest."_

 _"Bit of both," Danny grinned, placing the jar on his right and resting his arm over it securely. "Got to deal with some Bible plagues, see Cas, beat Raphael's ass – it was a very productive day."_

 _"Right..." Damon trailed off, staring at the jar. "What's with the salt? You makin' a galaxy-sized batch of margaritas?"_

 _Danny chuckled before answering, "This, little brother, is all that remains of Raphael's vessel."_

 _"You're joking, right?" Damon asked in a tone of disbelief, receiving a broad smile in return. "How the hell did that happen?"_

 _Danny launched into his tale, starting from the very beginning where Sam showed him and Dean 'Bubblewrap'. He told him a bit about the investigation, and smirked at Damon's disgusted look when he talked about the locusts in Colfax's head. When he brought up Cas' reappearance, he flipped Damon off, not overly fond of the knowing smirk on his face. He quickly ghosted over the kid, the angel, and the teleporting to Balthazar's house. Damon seemed intrigued by the angel, laughing at some of the things he said before quickly sobering up when Danny spoke of Raphael coming back. When Danny spoke of the archangel's fate, Damon stared at the jar of salt with new reverence._

 _"So, now you have an archangel in a jar, what're you gonna do with it?" Damon inquired._

 _"I'm having a plaque made. Shame Raph doesn't go on social media, otherwise I'd tag him in the picture I was planning on taking," Danny replied, still smiling even as he drank his bourbon._

 _"What're you gonna do with the picture then? Plan on replacing your lock screen?" Damon asked, a cheeky smile on his face._

 _"So, Damon, about your snapping my neck..." Danny replied, changing the subject abruptly, much to his brother's chagrin. "I've thought about it, and I've decided to forgive you."_

 _"Just like that?" Damon questioned in a tone of surprise._

 _"Just like that," Danny nodded, taking another sip of his drink._

 _"Huh," Damon clicked his tongue, leaning back in his seat. "Not that I'm complaining, but why?"_

 _Danny shrugged, swirling around the contents of his glass for a moment before answering with, "Well, let's be honest here. That situation wouldn't have turned out well had you not snapped my neck. I would've been forced to stop you from attacking Klaus – putting me at odds with you – and then I would've had to protect you – which would have pitted Klaus against me. The whole matter was solved without my interference, for which I am grateful."_

 _"So... you're thanking me for snapping your neck?"_

 _"Shut up."_

Danny shook his head, ridding himself of the memory for the moment. He took out his phone, smiling briefly at the picture of him and Cas on the lock screen before unlocking it. He went to the camera, snapping a photo of the jar and plaque and setting it as his home screen. He was about to put his phone back when it started vibrating, and a text from Cas popped up. _I didn't know he could text._ Danny frowned, reading through the long paragraph that was mainly the angel figuring out how the buttons worked. _He wants me to meet him at the park? Wonder why?_

With a shrug, the hybrid pocketed his phone before heading out of his room, locking it behind him and making his way to the garage. He pulled the sheet off his motorcycle, grinning widely as he pulled up the garage door with a wave of his hand. _Glad I still had some spare vials lyin' around._ He then mounted his bike, frowning slightly when he realized he had forgotten his keys. An idea struck him and he gave a snap of his fingers, prompting the bike to roar to life. _I love magic._ He revved the engine a few times before taking off, closing the garage door behind him with another wave of his hand.

In no time at all, he arrived at the park. Dismounting in the parking lot at the Grill, Danny jogged across the street to the park, glancing around for his friend. He soon spotted the trench coat-wearing angel on a nearby bench and proceeded walking over to him, once more wondering what he wanted. _Maybe he wants to thank me for saving his life. Again._ The hybrid smiled, already knowing what he would say in response.

He settled down next to the angel, resting his left arm on the armrest and his right on top of the bench. Cas turned to face him, his expression inscrutable. Danny resisted the urge to shift in his seat or blurt out all the things that immediately came to mind as the angel stared at him. He would wait for Castiel to make the first move.

"You disobeyed a direct order," the angel finally said.

Danny blinked at him, processing his words before saying, "I'm sorry, what?"

"I ordered you to stay hidden when Raphael came – and you didn't listen -"

"Pardon me for saving your ass again, Cas. Would you rather I just let Raphael pummel you into oblivion next time?" Danny shot back.

"Yes," Cas replied in an exasperated tone. "I'm your commanding officer, as such my orders are final -"

"'My commanding officer'? Pfft," Danny snorted, rolling his eyes. "You're my friend first, commanding officer second. Not even second. More like third or fourth -"

"You're not listening," Cas interrupted him in an aggravated tone, rising to his feet. "No matter what our relationship may be, you're still under my command, Daniel -"

"Oh, so we're back to 'Daniel' now?"

"- and as such are obligated to follow my orders, no matter what you may think of them," Cas finished, not addressing his remark.

"Look here, pal," Danny began hotly, rising to his own feet. "I'm not one of your angel buddies, I don't just do what someone says without questioning the hell out of it. I've only listened to you thus far because I l – care about you, and I'm willing to follow you in order to stop the apocalypse from happening. Don't mistake my loyalty for absolute obedience, Castiel. That's not how I roll – and you know it."

"Yes, we all know how you 'roll'," Cas did finger quotes, which only irked the hybrid more. "You act on whims. You're reckless, never thinking ahead – no regards for the consequences that may befall as a result of your actions. You're narcissistic, you're selfish, you're violent, just like -"

"Go ahead. Say it," Danny hissed, taking a step closer when Cas cut off abruptly.

"Just like Lucifer."

Danny blinked, brow furrowed as he clicked his tongue. _Honestly, I don't actually mind that. It's not like he called me Giuseppe or Raphael._ The hybrid relaxed somewhat, crossing his arms over his chest as he inhaled and exhaled slowly, keeping a tight grip over his powers. _That explains why he chose the park. He knows I won't allow myself to get out of control when I'm surrounded by all these innocent people._

"Dude, you say that like it's an insult," Danny finally replied in a mild tone.

"Most people would consider it as such."

"Those people don't know Lucifer," the hybrid shrugged. "I'd rather be compared to the Devil than be compared to almost anything else. At least Lucifer wasn't afraid to stand up for what he believed in, and that's something I can respect and even follow proudly."

Cas was silent for a moment, eyes narrowed in thought before he asked, "If Raphael succeeds – if the apocalypse begins again – would you side with Lucifer?" Danny remained silent, giving the angel all the answer he needed. "You would follow Lucifer, knowing what he would do to the planet? You would follow the being who killed Gabriel -"

"Don't," Danny rose his voice warningly. "Don't bring Gabriel into this." The hybrid turned his head away, swallowing back the emotions that usually came when the archangel was brought up. After a moment, he turned back, his face a mixture of defiance and resolution. "If the apocalypse were to happen, the lives of myself and the people I love would be at stake. At least with Lucifer, they have a chance of survival."

He _has a chance of survival._ Danny clarified to himself, head turning subconsciously in the direction his unborn son lay. _I'd make a deal with the very Devil himself to protect you. Hell, I'd pop the lid on the Cage myself and let him out if it turns out it's the only way to keep you safe._ Danny didn't voice this thought aloud for many reasons. The first of which was that Cas had no idea about his impending fatherhood. It wasn't that he didn't trust the angel – he did, with all his heart. It was that he didn't want to risk Cas somehow being taken by the enemy and tortured into revealing such valuable information.

"Cas," Danny sighed, turning back to face the angel. "When you first asked me to help you with Raphael, I agreed because of two reasons: you're my friend and it was the right thing to do. Now... there's so much more at stake than you realize. There is someone very important to me now – someone I would fight and kill and die to protect. I will do whatever it takes to keep them safe, even if it means siding with Lucifer or an army of demons. I'll do it."

He held his head high. "I'll help you beat Raphael, no matter what it takes. But you have to remember that I'll do whatever it takes to protect the people I love – including you – even if that means defying every order and breaking every rule."

He held out his hand. "If you can accept that – that I'll be fighting as your friend, your equal, not your subordinate – then I'd be proud to call you my comrade. If you can't... well, I'll still do whatever it takes to bring that bastard down. Even if it means bringing you down as well."

Cas stared at his hand for a moment before grasping it firmly in his own and saying, "I suppose I can accept that."

They shook hands, and Danny grinned, glad that the argument had been ended so quickly. The smile faded when Cas asked who 'this important person' was. The hybrid was silent for a moment before saying he couldn't tell him, he couldn't put that person at risk. Cas nodded, though he seemed a bit disappointed with the answer. Danny clapped him on the shoulder, informing him that there were only six people who knew who that person was, and that was only because he felt that person would be in more danger if they didn't.

"You must be very...close to this person, if you're being so secretive about them," Cas finally asked.

"Very," Danny nodded, quirking an eyebrow at the strange look on the angel's face. "Not in any romantic sense though, if that's what you're wondering."

"No, I, uh -" Cas began, seeming a bit flustered.

"Daniel!" a British voice called out, interrupting the two.

Danny closed his eyes as he grimaced, missing the angel's look of relief. He inhaled and exhaled slowly before opening his eyes and turning to face Klaus, who was marching towards him with purpose from the direction of the Grill. He felt Cas tense beside him, as though preparing for a fight, prompting the Nephilim to give him a look and fold his hands behind his back. _Not a threat._ His posture said, to which the angel gave a subtle nod and relaxed somewhat.

"You can go now," Klaus stated when he arrived, staring into Castiel's eyes.

Cas looked at him in confusion before turning to Danny and asking, "Did he just try to compel me?"

"Ah, yes, I forgot you two haven't met yet," Danny began, grimacing once more. "Cas, this is Klaus, Original hybrid and younger brother to my sire. Klaus, this is Castiel – angel of the Lord and one of my best mates in the whole world. He's good people. Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of him."

"Pleasure," Klaus responded in a dry tone, receiving a nod from the angel. "Daniel, you wouldn't happen to know where Stefan is, would you?"

Danny's brow knitted together in confusion as he replied, "I thought he skipped town after the whole Mikael debacle – congratulations on that, by the way. Why, what did he do this time?"

"He stole the coffins containing my siblings – including the one containing Elijah."

"Oh, dear, that's not good," Danny frowned.

"You keep your siblings in coffins?" Cas asked incredulously.

"You keep yours in a Cage in Hell. Not really in a place to judge," Danny reminded him, grinning when the angel tilted his head, conceding the point. "What do you need me for, Klaus? I have no clue where Stefan or the coffins are."

"Then perhaps you can enlighten me as to the location of my sister. Damon claims he has no idea, I would hate to think what would happen to him should I discover he's not being entirely truthful."

"Are you threatening my brother?" Danny questioned, brow furrowed and eyes glowing lightly. "You should know better than anyone that I don't take threats to my family lightly."

"Then perhaps you should accompany me when I go to question him again. Just to prevent any... unpleasantness," Klaus smiled widely.

The two stared at each other before Danny sighed in defeat, turning to Cas and saying, "See you around, buddy. I've got some family problems to take care of."

The angel looked as though he was going to argue for a moment, but instead sighed before awkwardly putting a hand on the taller man's shoulder and saying, "Good luck."

He then angeled away, leaving Danny to stare at the spot where he had once stood. _I'm going to need all the luck I can get to keep Klaus from tearing Damon apart._ He sighed, looking at the aforementioned hybrid. While he didn't know what happened to Rebekah – he didn't know a lot of things when it came to his brothers' plans with Mikael – he was certain that Damon had her stashed away somewhere. _Probably lying daggered in the basement. He's not exactly subtle when it comes to hiding things._

* * *

Danny walked into the library alongside Klaus, an expression of mild irritation on his face. In the time it took to get back to the mansion – Danny had to leave his motorcycle behind, which added to his already unpleasant mood – Klaus had asked Danny about some of the things Mikael said. Namely, about the part pertaining to Hell. As always, the topic brought nothing but bad memories, anger, and irritation to the oldest of the Salvatore brothers, who was reluctant to speak about Hell in general.

Knowing that Klaus would persist if he didn't give some sort of answer now, Danny eventually told him that he had been caught in a trap and transported down under. He explained about the time difference in Hell, how he had spent about 1200 years down there, give or take, before eventually making his escape. When Klaus was about to probe further, the Nephilim shot him a look, stating that he didn't want to talk about it anymore. _I haven't even told Cas or Dean about my time down there, why the hell would I tell you?_ He grumbled internally.

Back in the present, Danny folded his arms over his chest and leaned against a bookcase, observing the interaction between his brother and his sort-of Uncle. Klaus questioned Damon about the location of Rebekah, a question that he deflected with ease before offering him a drink. Klaus told him that Stefan stole his family, to which Damon commented that his baby brother was a buzz-kill, and that he'd look for him except for the fact that he didn't work for Klaus. The werepire said that Damon needed a violent demonstration of what would happen if he didn't find Stefan. He then made a phone call, after which he left, leaving the two brothers alone.

"Well, that was ominous," Danny commented, finally moving from his spot and walking further into the room.

"Yeah..." Damon replied, finishing his bourbon. "You working for Klaus now?"

"If I was, I would've told him you have Rebekah daggered in the basement."

"How did you know?" Damon asked curiously.

"I guessed," Danny shrugged, making himself a drink. "Thank you for confirming my suspicions and proving that are as predictable as ever, baby bro."

"Shut up."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, etc. are welcome. Requests for updates are not. (Seriously, gives me really bad anxiety when I see them.)**

 **Also, updates may be a bit slow for a bit. There's a number of chapters I like to have pre-written before I post a new one, and I have yet to meet that number. This is due to a number of things in my life - stress, writer's block, illness, etc. I hope that you guys will be patient if I am unable to post a new chapter next week, and thank you for reading!**


	39. Chapter 39: You Can't Handle the Truth

**Chapter 39: You Can't Handle the Truth**

 _October 10, 2010_

"So, Danny, tell me the truth: who's your favorite Winchester?"

"... You called me in the middle of my tattoo session for this?" Danny finally replied after a moment of quiet.

In the two weeks since Danny's spat with Castiel and the delivery of Klaus' threat to Damon, the oldest Salvatore had decided that he needed a break – from Cas, his brothers, everything. On the 27th day of September, he had packed his bags, taken Damon's car, and driven up to Sioux Falls to spend time with his baby mama and their unborn son. Bobby was less than thrilled to have him there, seeing as how he didn't much care for the fact that he was a vampire. He was, however, very understanding of his need to get away and spend time with his family, so he didn't put up much of a fuss.

He spent most of his time with Karen, showing her pictures of the crib he had put together – something she gushed over endlessly. She informed him that the baby had spoken to her, and said that he would be here 'soonish'. While they weren't quite sure what their son's definition of 'soonish' was, they both decided that they had to get a lot of stuff done in very little time. This prompted the two to head out of town for the weekend to purchase some things for 'little Damien,' as they had started calling him.

By the time Danny was done with his vacation, he had a trunk packed with baby clothes, bottles, formula, diapers, wipes, and everything else he hadn't known he needed. On his way back, he decided to make a pit stop in Chicago to get some new tattoos from Ramone, the vampire who had done his previous ink jobs. He had an anti-possession symbol tattooed on his chest over his heart, despite the fact he couldn't get possessed, he thought the design was cool and badass. He then gave Ramone a piece of paper, upon which was what he wanted on his left arm. It was as Ramone was working that Dean called to ask his inane question.

"You're getting inked up again?" Dean asked in a tone of disbelief, his question momentarily forgotten.

"What're you getting this time? Raphael turning into salt?"

"Hmm, good idea, but no. Thought I'd go the more sentimental route and do a little 'in memoria' and have the names of people I've lost written in Enochian on my arm," Danny replied, looking down to where Ramone was currently inscribing Lexi's name.

"Huh, that's... cool, I guess?" Dean finally said, his tone unsure. "Whose names have you got?"

"Uh, there's Mia, Julia, John, Jo, Ellen, Lexi, and Gabriel," Danny answered after a moment of thought. "I'm only counting people I actually cared about who have permanently died. Otherwise, there wouldn't be enough room on my entire body for that list."

"I know everyone else, but who the hell're Mia and Julia?"

"Julia was the first person I ever fell in love with, and Mia was my birth mother," the hybrid was silent for a moment. "I may never have met her, but that doesn't mean I don't care for her."

"Right... why Enochian?"

"Embracing my heritage," Danny shrugged his right shoulder, receiving a look from Ramone. "Why'd you call to ask me who my favorite Winchester is?"

"Uh, no reason..."

"Dean," Danny replied in a gruff tone, imitating Cas.

"Don't give me the Cas voice."

The two bickered back and forth for a moment before Dean finally relented and told him about a case he and Sam were working on. When someone in the town they were in asked for the truth, anyone they talked to gave it to them – no matter how brutal or cruel it was, they had to say what they genuinely felt. Danny was intrigued by this, wondering if – as the vessel/reincarnation of the archangel of truth and justice – he'd be able to do something like that one day. Dean was more curious as to why whatever power was at work there wasn't affecting the hybrid.

"Nephilim power, baby. Not a lot affects us," Danny grinned, despite Dean not being able to see it. "So, I wouldn't recommend trying it out on Kate. She'd kick your ass when she finds out that you tried to use someone's mystical powers to manipulate her."

"Don't you mean 'if she finds out'? Unless you plan on snitching -"

"Don't need to. She'll find out, because you'll tell her," Danny replied, glancing at his arm to see that Ramone was almost done with Gabriel's name.

"Oh? And why would I do that?" Dean questioned.

"Because she's the one person you never lie to or keep secrets from and vice versa."

Dean was silent for a moment before saying, "I hate it when you're right."

"Most people do."

* * *

Danny turned into the driveway of the Lockwood mansion later that night, rolling his eyes at the ostentatious bright lights. _Were it not for the fact that Damon said he had something important to ask me, I wouldn't even be here._ On his way back to Mystic Falls, he had received numerous texts and calls from both Damon and Klaus, neither of which he answered. He'd done a pretty damn good job of not getting involved in their little feud, and he wanted to stay out of it as long as possible. However, when Damon sent him a text that he needed to talk to him about something that could save Stefan's life, Danny had no choice but to heed the call.

 _Of course, he could be lying_. Danny conceded as he stepped out of the car and walked toward the entrance of the house. He quickly spotted Alaric and Damon making their way across the paved area in front of the mansion, talking as they did so. Danny jogged to catch up with them, straining his vampire hearing so he would know what they were talking about.

"... A bit of a dimmer switch, which is a huge problem," Damon was saying.

"Why?" Ric asked, stopping in his tracks.

"Because I can't predict how far he's willing to go until somebody gets killed," Damon replied, turning around to face him.

"Suddenly you care who lives and who dies?" Ric questioned in a tone full of skepticism.

"I have a small list," Damon answered, looking over Ric's shoulder and spotting Danny close by. "You're on it, big bro."

"I'm flattered," Danny said in a tone full of sarcasm, the corners of his lips twitching upward as Ric whirled around swiftly to face him. "Good to see you again, Ric. Karen sends her love."

"Thanks, how is she?"

"Doin' good, Damien's been very good to her – so she's not uncomfortable," Danny replied, keeping his answers as vague as possible.

"You're not really naming him Damien, are you?" Ric asked with a mildly exasperated sigh.

"Nah. Damon's been calling him that, so that's what we've been using when we're out in public. It grows on you," Danny smiled.

Damon gave a self-satisfied smirk at this before he asked, "Any idea when he'll be sailing through the canal?"

"Dude, c'mon, that's my sister," Ric complained, throwing Damon a mildly disgusted look.

"He said he'll arrive 'soonish', but we have no idea what that means in the grand scheme of things," Danny shrugged, interrupting their bickering before it could truly begin. "Could be today, could be next month."

"Very vague. Wonder who he gets that from?" Damon snickered, receiving a playful shove from his older brother.

"Hopefully he doesn't take after his father too much," Ric commented dryly, making his way to the front door.

"As long as he's not as naïve as his mother, I'm okay with that," Danny replied with a small shrug, ignoring the look Ric shot his way.

Danny was well-aware that he was not the best person in the world – not the worst, but certainly not the best. He wasn't a hero, nor was he a villain. He inhabited a morally grey area in between the two extremes, and he was perfectly okay with that. No one outright expected the best of him or the worst, and that was just the way he liked it. He had discovered that trying to live up to someone's expectations was both exhausting and pointless – his years spent with Elijah were a testament to that – and ultimately, you would just end up failing them.

 _All those years spent trying to be Lukas Mikaelson for Elijah when I should've been Daniel Salvatore for me_. Danny lamented as he followed Damon and Alaric inside the mansion. _Wasted my time, even if I did learn a valuable lesson from it all: always be yourself._ He took a drink from a nearby server before making his way over to the model of the old Wickery Bridge and picking up the little model car that was on there. After receiving a look from both Ric and Damon, he put the car back and held his hands up in surrender, widening his eyes comically.

He finished off the last of his glass of overly expensive wine before wandering off to go get another one. He heard Damon say a few words to Ric before his brother followed after him. Damon stayed by his side the entire time Danny was getting a drink, not saying a word – which was starting to irk the hybrid. _He wanted to ask me something, and now he's not saying anything? I get not wanting to talk about it in public, but he could at least try to make conversation._

"Y'know, I don't need a babysitter," Danny informed him, plucking a canape from a nearby tray and putting it in his mouth. "I'm a 1300-year-old hybrid, not a child."

"I'm not babysitting you, I'm just trying to spend some quality time with my favorite older brother. Y'know, before you run off and ditch us again," Damon replied in a flippant tone.

"Yeah, that was pretty selfish on my part," Danny conceded with a tilt of his head. "But, do you really want me to get involved in yours and Stefan's ongoing feud with Klaus? You never know, one day I might get so frustrated with you lot and accidentally blow you guys up."

Damon stared at him for a moment before asking, "Is that actually possible?"

"Of course," Danny replied, taking another canape and walking away, his brother close behind. "I still don't have full control over my abilities – which are intimately tied to my emotions, by the way. If I get angry enough, I have the potential to level the whole town. At least, according to Cas, anyway."

"Right, and we're just gonna listen to the guy who got you hooked on angel blood?" Damon questioned, rolling his eyes as they came upon Klaus talking to Carol Lockwood.

"When it comes to angel crap, yeah," Danny answered, tilting back his glass and chugging down its contents. "I trust him, Damon."

"Of course you do," Damon rolled his eyes again before strolling over to Klaus and the Mayor. "Look what the cat dragged in. Nice vest."

"Well, thank you very much. Good to see you, Damon," Klaus stated, his eyes brightening when Danny approached. "And you as well, Daniel. I trust you had a lovely vacation?" He received a shrug in response. "Excellent. Carol and I were just discussing whether you two would be tonight's other big benefactors."

"What do you say? Klaus has made a very generous pledge," Carol informed them. "You know how we're chomping at the bit to begin the renovation."

"Not happening. I've got better things to spend my money on," Danny replied, stuffing his canape in his mouth.

"Such as...?" Carol inquired.

"Orphans and puppies. African rain forest. Veterans. Homeless shelters -" Danny began listing, only to be interrupted by his younger brother.

Damon proceeded to inform her that she was kissing the ass of the hybrid who ruined her son's life. Klaus responded that he had saved it since Tyler no longer had to turn on the full moon. Carol then told the two Salvatores that Klaus promised to protect the town – to which Damon argued that his hybrids were who the town needed protection from. Danny took that moment to excuse himself from the conversation, unwilling to get involved in the debate.

He spent the remainder of his time in the Lockwood mansion just wandering around, stealing food and drinking alcohol. On the way to putting another canape in his mouth, he stopped and stared at the little bite-sized snack, a realization striking him. _Oh my Lucifer. I've turned into Dean._ He stared at canape for a moment longer before shrugging and popping it in his mouth, deciding that there were worse people to turn into. _Like Kol, or Mikael or even Giuseppe._

Damon took that moment to appear beside him, informing his older brother that Stefan had just tried to kill a hybrid in the Lockwood house, prompting the older of the two to groan at their youngest brother's stupidity. He had Damon take him to where the hybrid was still laying, unconscious in an empty room and stared at him for a moment. After thinking through his options carefully, Danny yanked the hybrid's heart out of his chest before snapping his fingers, setting the body ablaze and destroying all evidence that he was ever there.

"Problem solved," Danny stated once the fire died down and all that remained was a pile of ash. "Get a broom and dustpan and clean up the mess."

"Uh, thanks?" Damon said, looking at the large black spot on the floor. "I was hoping you'd talk to Klaus or Stefan, but I guess this works."

"When are you going to get it through your head that I'm not getting involved in your pissing contest with Klaus?" Danny questioned, leaning against an accent table.

"When are you going to stop playing pacifist and actually pick a side?" Damon shot back. "You can't stay in the middle forever, Danny. You have to pick a side sooner or later – might as well be now."

"Why?" Danny inquired, folding his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow at him. "Why do I have to choose? Why can't you guys just leave me alone and let me be?"

"Because you're our brother," Damon informed him. "And Klaus' bestie. We need to know if you're our ally or our enemy. We need to know if we can trust you, Danny. Like we used to before all this crazy vampire shit even started."

"Of course you can trust me!"

"Then tell me, what does Klaus have hidden in the locked coffin? Tell me, and we can trust you again," Damon told him, placing a hand on his older brother's shoulder.

Danny looked at him, confused at the question. _Locked coffin? What's he on about?_ When he voiced that very question, Damon informed him that they had four coffins. Three of them contained Klaus' siblings, but one of them was locked. They were under the impression that there was some type of weapon in there that could beat Klaus, but they had no clue what it was or how to open it.

"Honestly? I have no clue. Well," Danny amended after a moment of thought, tapping his chin. "That's not completely true. I have theories and guesswork – but that's all I have, Damon. I'm just as lost as the rest of you."

"You really expect me to believe you?" Damon scoffed.

"No, because you're skeptical and untrusting by nature," the hybrid informed him bluntly. "I may have done some shady shit in the past – kept things from you, ditched you – but I have never, not once, ever lied to you or Stefan, Damon. I don't know for certain what's in that coffin – I'm not even sure I want to know – but I have a strong feeling that, whatever it is, it's going to backfire on you spectacularly."

"Oh, please, when has that ever -"

"Mikael."

"Yeah, you got me there."

* * *

A/N:

Questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, etc. are welcome. Requests for updates are not. (Seriously, gives me really bad anxiety when I see them.)

Soooo, here's the thing, Word deleted some of the stuff I wrote on the current chapter of "Always" that I'm working. As is expected, it somewhat diminished my desire to continue writing the story. That's not to say I'm giving up on it, more like I'm taking a short break while I try to figure out where to go with the story.

In the meantime, I'll be posting chapters for other stories I've been working on in my spare time - two of which I'm quite excited about. The main one I'll be focusing on is based in the Harry Potter world, with an OC I am eager to explore/develop. Hope to see you all in my upcoming stories!


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